The Power Within
by AgentLucario
Summary: It all started with a dream. Kat was supposed to go on a perfectly normal journey, make friends, and catch pokémon, but things have changed. Now she finds out that she is more in tune with her pokémon than any normal trainer. And the world needs someone like that right about now.
1. Chapter 1 - The Journey Begins!

A/N Hey guys, AgentLucario here. After reading lots of pokémon fanfiction on this site, an idea popped into my head and I decided to roll with it. So here you go! R&R please, any constructive criticism would help. Thanks!  


Edit: It's been a year since I've started this, and realized a few holes in my plot. So... there are a whole bunch of changes being made after chapter 33, which I will list before chapter 34 (don't want to spoil anything xD). I will eventually rewrite the first 33 chapters, but want to finish the whole story first. So sorry for the poor writing/realism of the first half-ish of this story, but the main ideas will remain intact. Enjoy!

Kat's POV

I was seemingly floating in nothingness when I heard two pokémon speaking in English. Some distance away I could make out a small pink cat talking to a giant centaur-like pokémon with a golden ring on his back.

"Is she ready?" the pink cat (who by the way, is **adorable** ) asked.

 **"She'll have to be,"** the big centaur replied in a solemn voice. He then turned directly to me and stared at me so intensely it was as if he could look into my soul.

 **"WAKE UP!"**

I woke up with a start. _It was all a dream. What were those pokémon? Oh well, it was probably nothing,_ I thought. It took me a few moments when I realized it was my sixteenth birthday! Today was the day I began my pokémon journey! I rushed downstairs to find my parents waiting for me.

"Happy Birthday!" they both cheered. My father then told me, "I found a little eevee who was just itching to go on an adventure."

As if on cue, the little eevee came over and looked up at me. As I picked her up I could see it in her eyes that she was just as excited to go on an adventure as I was. My father went on, "We also packed a bag with a pokédex, some pokéballs, and some survival equipment like a sleeping bag and food."

I had to ask my parents about my dream before I left. "Hey, Mom or Dad, do either of you know of a pokémon that looks like a cute pink cat or a big centaur with a golden ring on its back?"

"... I don't know, honey. It was probably just your imagination," my mother replied.

My dad, however, had a better explanation. "Maybe it was a psychic pokémon talking to you in your dreams? I think some of them can do that…"

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure it's nothing," I assured them. _I should probably go to a library at some point to do some research._ My thoughts on the two mysterious pokémon were interrupted by Eevee who started poking me and pointing to the door. I guess she really wants to go on an adventure.

After a hasty breakfast and a farewell to my parents, Eevee and I began to head out from my home in Viridian City to Pewter City. She is so full of energy, jumping out of my arms and walking alongside me with a spring in her step. I figured that I should probably get to know Eevee better before we head out on our journey. I scanned her with the pokédex and learned that she already knows Quick Attack, Tackle, and Sand Attack. I then saw that there were a couple of wild caterpie that we could use to train.

"You up for some training girl?" I asked her.

"Vee Eevee!" she yapped excitedly. I assume that's a yes. Man, I really wish I could understand my pokémon.

"Alright, use Tackle!" Eevee complied, surprising the young caterpie and slamming into it. It wasn't giving up yet however, and fired back a String Shot.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge!" Suddenly getting faster, Eevee somewhat dodged the String Shot and the Quick Attack was enough to knock the poor caterpie out.

"Great job! That was awesome," I congratulated her. However, she was trying to get some of the String Shot out of her fur and failing miserably. I picked her up and helped get the sticky webs out of her fur. She suddenly became a furball of energy running and jumping around like a newborn kit, encouraging me to continue on. I laughed at her excitement and followed her as we entered Viridian Forest.

A/N Thanks for reading this! I know it's slow (and short) at first but please bear with me, the action really picks up in the next chapter. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2 - Viridian Forest

A/N So I know the first chapter's a little bland, but don't worry. The action's going to pick up soon.

Kat's POV

Eevee and I continued down Viridian Forest battling the occasional caterpie or metapod. I was glad that the caterpie only knew Tackle and String Shot and the metapod only knew Harden. Suddenly, I heard a pokémon cry out in pain and two voices,

"Shut up, you little rat. There's no one going to save you now." I quickly ran over and hid in the bushes near a small clearing. I saw two people with "R"s on their shirts talking. "What do you want to do with him, eh? I don't think the boss needs a weakling."

"Do what you want. I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind, but the little rat was so weak he couldn't even beat your stupid ekans."

At this, the first speaker got angry. "Whattya mean my ekans' weak? It could beat your koffing any day."

As the two began bickering, I told Eevee to stay quiet to go and get the poor pikachu that was lying unnoticed. The poor thing had cuts and bruises all over its body. I understand the point of training and battling, but this was going too far.

"Hey you! Whattya think you're doing, snatching our pikachu!" One of the grunts suddenly shouted out. Oops, I guess the pikachu wasn't as unnoticed as I thought.

" _Your_ pikachu? Who are you people, hurting an innocent pikachu clearly not fit to battle," I retorted back.

"We're part of Team Rocket, girlie, and you should leave before you and your pokémon get hurt," one of them sneered.

"Like that's going to happen. Go Eevee!" On that signal, Eevee jumped out of the bushes, ready for a fight.

"Fine. Be that way. Go Ekans!" "Go Koffing!" Both grunts sent out their pokémon.

"Hey! Two against one isn't fair!"

"Team Rocket doesn't play fair. Ekans Poison Sting!"

Suddenly the Ekans shot out a bunch of purple needles. Caught off guard, Eevee managed to dodge some, but not all of them.

"Eevee use Quick Attack on Koffing!" I assumed that the koffing was less of a problem than the ekans, and I could get rid of the koffing easier.

"Big mistake. Koffing use Smog!" Eevee still managed to hit the koffing for moderate damage, but she took some damage and to make it worse, she was poisoned.

"Ekans use Poison Sting again!" This time, I reacted faster.

"Eevee use Sand Attack on Ekans!" Luckily, the sand caused the poison sting to miss, but I didn't realize that Koffing was suddenly right next to Eevee.

"Ha! You fell into our trap! Koffing use Self-Destruct!" Oh no, I forgot that koffing could learn that move. A big explosion later and both Koffing and Eevee were knocked out, but Ekans was still a problem.

"Eevee retu-"

The grunt interrupted me, "Ekans use wrap on the eevee so it can't escape!" Ekans duly wrapped around Eevee, preventing me from returning her. The grunt then told Ekans,

"Squeeze the life out of that stupid eevee." He turned to me, "So now what? I bet you don't have any more pokémon, and now you're going to watch your eevee being squeezed to death." He started laughing at me as I just stood there in shock.

As I stood there, only one thought went through my head: getting Eevee away from these heartless trainers who were killing her, no matter what.

 ** _RUN_** was the only thought in my mind. It seemed as if time slowed down. I ran, pushed Ekans out of the way, picked up Eevee with the pikachu in tow and just ran as fast as I could to where I was pretty sure was Pewter City.

As I ran into Pewter City with a badly injured pikachu and Eevee, I ran straight into the pokémon center and asked the Nurse Joy, "Please help my pokémon! Some people who were a part of Team Rocket hurt this pikachu and then Eevee as we tried to stop them."

The Nurse Joy quickly took the two injured pokémon, handed them to a chansey, and told me, "You're very lucky to get out of there. Team Rocket has been around in Viridian Forest a lot recently-"

"Are my pokémon going to be okay?" I interrupted her, more concerned about my pokémon's health than some group of thieves.

"Your pokémon are going to be fine, although they will need to stay here overnight. The pikachu had a lot of scrapes and bruises, and your eevee was poisoned badly." The nurse replied.

I let out a sigh in relief. Now that I knew my pokémon are going to be okay, I asked Nurse Joy, "Who are Team Rocket? All I know is that they were torturing poor Pikachu in the woods."

She replied, "Team Rocket is a group of heartless people who believe that pokémon are just tools and are used for profit. They don't care very much about the well being of pokémon or other people."

I was going to ask more about Team Rocket, but the adrenaline rush finally wore off and I felt exhausted. Nurse Joy realized this too, and said, "You look exhausted. From the looks of it, you ran all the way from Viridian Forest to here. That's quite a distance. Do you want a room to stay overnight? It's free for trainers."

I knew I should get some rest, but I also wanted to be with both Pikachu and Eevee to make sure that they're both okay. "Can I stay with Pikachu and Eevee? I want to be there for them when they wake up." Nurse Joy looked a little startled, but brought me a chair. Pikachu was shaking in his sleep, probably having nightmares from what Team Rocket did to him. I held him close and he stopped shaking, finally getting some peaceful sleep.

 _I'm going to get revenge on Team Rocket for what they did to Eevee and this pikachu._ was my last thought before falling asleep.

A/N So what do you guys think? Still trying to work out how to write battles and such. Any constructive criticism is helpful Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3 - Making New Friends

A/N So here's the third chapter. I just wanted to get a few chapters out and seeing what you guys have to say before continuing on.

Pikachu's POV

I was being chased in the woods again by those accursed people and their ekans and koffing. Inevitably, they caught up to me and started using poison sting relentlessly while I just lied there in pain. Eventually the pain was too much and I blacked out, finally, only to be chased again. The vicious cycle continued three more times and then suddenly, right before the ekans and koffing caught me again, all of it vanished. The forest, the Rockets, and the pokémon all vanished, finally leaving me in peace. With that I let an incoming cloud swallow me up and all I knew was bliss.

When I woke up, my first thought was where I was. I remember the ekans, a lot of poison stings, and then blackness. I then noticed was that there was somebody hugging me. My instinct told me to just shock whoever it was, but then I realized I was completely healed and that this girl probably saved me, even stayed all night with me. I tried poking her to wake her up and get her off of me, but it wasn't working. Eventually I wriggled out of her grasp and noticed an eevee lying there in the bed next to mine.

 _The girl and her eevee must have saved me from the Rockets even though they could've gotten hurt. All of the trainers I saw were ruthless and mean to their pokémon. Could this girl actually be different? She saved me but it didn't seem like she caught me when she could. Maybe I should stay with her and get stronger so the Rockets couldn't catch me again. I don't think she's like the others._

My thoughts were interrupted by the girl slowly waking up. She slowly blinked her eyes and yawned, then turned to me. She then asked me,

"Get a good night's rest? You seemed to be having nightmares until I came over." So that explains the never ending chase, and why all of a sudden it disappeared. Wait, I thought only psychic-type pokémon could influence dreams. Humans weren't psychic right? She continued on,

"My name's Kat. I found the Rockets hurting you in Viridian Forest so I brought you here. You feeling better?"

I nodded my head yes because humans can't understand pokéspeak. How come we can understand them while they can't understand us? The girl, Kat, spoke again,

"Hey would you like to come with Eevee and me on a journey? We could make new friends, get stronger, and have a great adventure. If you want, I'll leave a pokéball here for you.

 _Wait, she's actually asking me if I want to be her pokémon or not? That's new. Most trainers just beat pokémon into submission and then catch them without their opinion. Kat must be a one of a kind trainer who actually is friends with her pokémon. I think I'll give her the benefit of the doubt._

Slowly with my paw I tapped the simple red and white ball, and was quickly sucked in. There was a few seconds of really bad disorientation, when she promptly sent me back out again. What pokémon would willingly put themselves through that awful feeling? I'm pretty sure Kat picked up on it because she said,

"You really don't like being in there, huh? It's okay, I don't think Eevee does either." At this point I knew that she would be a great trainer for me; she didn't even force me into a pokéball if I didn't want to. I also turned to the eevee lying next to me, fast asleep. Somehow I forgot she was even there. Man, what kind of pokémon am I? She risked her life just for me and I can't even remember she's there. Kat saw me look over and said, "I'm sure you two will get along just fine." She got a mischievous look in her eyes. "Maybe even _more_ than fine." Gah, what was she insinuating, that I would like the Eevee? Yes she did save me and she looks cute… Geez, what am I thinking?" Kat noticed me blush a bit and smirked, then asked me,

"Hey, do you want to go train for a little bit? Eevee's usually a bundle of energy, but I'm pretty sure with all the running around she did yesterday and the battle in the forest she's wiped out. It's better if we let her rest. Hmm, I better leave her a note..." I agreed, happy to take my mind off of the sleeping eevee, and followed Kat out.

Kat's POV

I'm so relieved that Pikachu decided to join us on our journey. I was afraid with the whole "Team Rocket torturing him thing" that he would hate humans, but he seemed to warm up to me just fine. He looked _so_ cute looking at Eevee. After scanning him with the pokédex I learned he knew Thundershock, Quick Attack, and Agility. Heading back into Viridian Forest, we found more caterpie and metapod to train with. He seemed a little apprehensive battling again, but since the caterpie and metapod were pretty harmless Pikachu had no problem with them. I got so caught up in training with Pikachu that I lost track of time and saw that it was almost midday.

"Hey, we should probably head back now. Don't need Eevee worrying about us," I told Pikachu. All I got back was a "Pika!" and we headed back to Pewter. When we walked into the pokémon center, a brown furball of energy tackled me as soon as I stepped through the door.

Eevee's POV

When I woke up, I noticed that I was in a pokémon center and that Kat wasn't there. I saw a note she left on the bed, but I couldn't read whatever the humans use to write. Of course my trainer is the one trainer who can't remember that pokémon can't read. Oh well, I'm sure she's coming back.

I saw Kat walk through the door and pretty much tackled her in excitement. She laughed and said, "I guess you're back to normal." I replied, "Yep, never better!", although I probably could have said, "I like fish sticks" really energetically and she wouldn't have noticed. Ooh, I could probably go for some fish sticks right now, it was almost lunch time. Then I noticed the Pikachu that walked in with Kat. I jumped off of Kat and ran over and asked,

"Hello! You're the pikachu that Kat and I found in Viridian Forest, right? Are you okay? You look okay. You seemed pretty bad when we found you. Are you hungry? I could really go for some fish sticks right now."

Pikachu's POV

You know, I was really getting used to this whole "trainer" business when we walked through the door of the pokémon center. The eevee I saw earlier jumped on Kat, almost knocking her over. After talking to Kat for a bit, the eevee turned to me and asked so many questions. I didn't really know what to do and backed up towards Kat, unsure of what I should say. Kat spoke up,

"You don't really need to be afraid of Eevee. She's nice if a little energetic."

Wait, a _little_ energetic? That's the understatement of the year. Still a little unsure of what was going to happen next, I walked over and said, "H... Hi, my name's Pikachu. Th...Thanks for saving me from the Rockets."

As if she couldn't tell I was nervous, or simply didn't care, she replied, "No problem! We're going to have so much fun on this adventure! Are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime and I'm starving."

Wait, didn't she ask me that already? I could see Kat facepalm at our "conversation" out of the corner of our eye. She couldn't understand us, although I'm pretty sure she had a general idea of what was going on.

I heard Kat say, "Eevee, back off. He's probably just a bit shy meeting new people." Thank goodness. I'm not sure if I could take much more of the super-energetic eevee. Kat continued, "It is getting close to lunch. Are you guys hungry?"

Now that I think about it, the last time I ate was around this time yesterday. Suddenly I could hear my stomach rumble.

Kat laughed and said, "I'll take that as a yes. After lunch we can go challenge the gym here!" Wait, I have no idea of what a gym is. Against my better judgement I asked Eevee, "What's a gym?" She told me, "Gyms are tests of skill and strength for trainers. They usually involve battles." I froze. _Oh no, battles again?_ I thought to myself, thinking back to the time in the forest with Ekans.

Seeing my reaction, Eevee assured me, "Don't worry. Kat will make sure you don't get hurt that badly. Gym battles aren't battles of life or death. It'll be fun!" Somewhat reassured, I followed Kat and Eevee into a field near Viridian Forest for lunch.

After a nice lunch, Eevee suddenly ran over, touched me, and said, "Tag! You're it!" Exasperated, I turned to Kat for help. I don't think she understood because she just said, "Go on and play. The gym isn't going to move." Reluctantly, I started chasing after Eevee. Slowly worries of battling faded away and I just let myself have fun with the Eevee with way too much energy for her own good.

After a long time of playing tag with Eevee, I flopped to the ground in exhaustion. Kat saw me and laughed, then told Eevee, "Okay, playtime's over. It's too late to challenge the gym now, but we should probably head back to the pokémon center for dinner." Eevee was _still_ bouncing around full of energy, but I could barely move. Luckily Kat picked me up and whispered to me "Did you have fun? I know you're concerned about battles, but that's not the only thing being a pokémon trainer's about. It can also mean simply having fun with your pokémon. I'm sure you'll do fine, but I don't want to make you do something you don't want to, okay?" Grateful but too tired to respond, I simply fell asleep in Kat's arms.

Kat's POV

Aww, it was so cute watching Pikachu play with Eevee. He needed to relax for a bit and have fun, not be super worried about battles. After getting to the pokémon center, I decided to let Pikachu rest in our room while Eevee and I got some dinner. After getting a bowl of pokémon food for PIkachu, Eevee and I returned to the room finding a sleepy Pikachu slowly waking up. I set down the bowl near him and he started eating it really fast. I guess running after Eevee for hours makes you hungry. After seeing Eevee "talk" to Pikachu (I may not understand pokespeak but I can still tell it was a one-sided conversation), I told Eevee, "Eevee, let him eat and get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us."

Soon after, both Eevee and Pikachu curled up with me in the bed as I turned out the lights. _"This is what being a pokémon trainer is really about. Being friends with your pokémon and having an adventure together"_ was my last thought before drifting off to sleep.

A/N So kind of a filler chapter, although we do get some characterization of both Eevee and Pikachu. As always, R&R!


	4. Chapter 4 - Pewter Gym

A/N Hey guys! Updates will be every other Tuesday, so I'll try my best to get a chapter out. Thank you to St. Elmo's Fire and HikariSoru for reviewing, it helps a lot! I would also like to thank my friend and beta reader Human_Wyof for encouraging me to write this and for helping me improve my writing. As always, R&R please!

I was floating in nothingness again in my dreams, when I saw the centaur-like pokémon again. The pink cat was missing; I didn't know where she went. He looked at me and when he spoke, it seemed as if the whole world around me was speaking:

 **"You have been given a great gift. You have a pure heart and have been chosen for a great destiny. When you understand your gift, do not hide from it, but embrace it and use it to help others."**

I was so confused. What gift? I was just a 16 year old girl from Viridian City on a pokémon journey.

Suddenly he spoke again. **"It's time for you to return. You have a very important day ahead of you."**

I just realized that this centaur-pokémon has been talking to me and I didn't even know who he was. I called out to him, "Wait, who are you?"

 **"My name is Arceus. Farewell, child."**

With that, the world turned white and I woke up in my bed in the pokémon center with Eevee and Pikachu curled up next to me. "What was that? What did he mean by a gift? I definitely have to look him up later." My thoughts were interrupted by Eevee and Pikachu slowly getting up. I asked them,

"Get a good night's sleep? We have a big day ahead of us. Today we're going to challenge the Pewter Gym!" Eevee jumped out of the bed, startling Pikachu, who was apparently much less of a morning pokémon than Eevee, and almost knocking him off of the bed. In response he let off a small spark, making Eevee's fur stand on end. Eevee didn't seem to mind and pawed at the door.

"Okay Eevee, I know you're excited, but why don't we get some breakfast first?" I suggested to them. They both nodded in agreement, and after a light breakfast in the pokémon center we headed out towards the Pewter Gym.

When we got there the first thing I noticed was that the whole gym was covered in rock. I guess that means it's a rock-type gym. I'm sure Eevee and Pikachu are up for it.

A tall dark-skinned man standing in the middle of the gym called out to us, "Are you challenging the Pewter Gym? If you are, my name's Brock, the gym leader."

I replied, "Yep! Eevee, Pikachu, and I are ready for this!"

He pulled a pokéball off of his belt and said,"Okay. This will be a two on two battle until both pokémon are unable to battle. Go Geodude!"

A boulder with a face and arms came out onto the field. I turned to PIkachu and asked him, "You ready for this? I know you can do it." He thought for a second, then walked out onto the field in a battle stance.

Brock looked at me with a bit of laughter in his eyes and said, "You're going to battle me with a pikachu? Oh well. Battle Begin!"

I know the electric type moves won't work because Geodude is also a ground type. Quickly I told Pikachu, "Use Quick Attack!" He ran at Geodude and… virtually did nothing. What? Why didn't that work? "Use Tackle!" Pikachu charged Geodude again, but once again it didn't even seem like Geodude took any damage.

Brock just stood there and called out, "You do know that normal-type moves are resisted by rock types, right? Geodude use tackle!"

Suddenly Geodude moved and slammed into Pikachu, knocking him across the stadium. "Pikachu!" I shouted, "Are you okay?" Although shakily, he got back up, but looked a little scared. I called out to him, "Don't worry. You can do this. He can't win if he can't hit you. Use Agility!" Pikachu sped up, quite literally running circles around Geodude.

Brock just smirked and called out, "Now!" Geodude then charged right in the way of Pikachu's path. Running too fast to dodge, Pikachu and Geodude ran right into each other. The resultant collision threw Pikachu towards me, knocking him out, while much sturdier Geodude was still able to battle if a little hurt from the impact.

"Pikachu!" I cried out and ran onto the field to pick him up. He woke up and looked at me sadly but I reassured him, "Don't worry. It's not your fault. You did fine." Knowing he doesn't like pokéballs, I set him down near the stands so he could watch the rest of the gym battle.

Returning to the battlefield, I called out, "Let's finish this Eevee!" She jumped in, facing Geodude, almost bouncing with energy. This time, Brock took the first move. "Geodude, use tackle!" Knowing that a head-on collision probably would probably hurt Eevee more than Geodude, I told her, "Use Sand Attack!" The sand caused Geodude to miss, and I got an idea. I told Eevee, "Head by the wall of the stadium." A little confused, she did so, when Brock said, "Geodude, tackle again!" I really hoped this worked. "Eevee, use Sand Attack and Quick Attack to dodge!" Throwing sand in Geodude's face, Geodude veered to the left and would have hit Eevee if she didn't use Quick Attack. Luckily, my plan worked and Geodude ran straight into the wall, knocking him out.

A little surprised, Brock returned Geodude, and told me, "You have beaten Geodude, but can you beat my starter, Onix!" a very, very large rock snake appeared, intimidating Eevee.

Shoot. What am I going to do about this? The strategy that worked for Geodude isn't going to work here. What am I going to do? While thinking about what to do, I didn't realize that Onix caught Eevee in a bind. As she was crying out in pain, unable to do anything, I couldn't think of anything that would help. Realizing that I couldn't win, I told Brock, "I...I forfeit." As a battered Eevee was released by Onix, I ran over, picked her up, got Pikachu and ran to the pokémon center to get them both healed.

After Eevee and Pikachu were healed, I ran to the clearing in Viridian Forest where Pikachu and Eevee played tag yesterday. I told them, "Go ahead and play. I need some time to think." They both gave me weird looks but scampered off.

Eevee's POV

After the gym battle I could tell that Kat wasn't her usual cheerful self. After we got to the clearing in Viridian Forest she just told us to run off and play. Pikachu and I walked off to a different part of the clearing to give Kat some space. I asked Pikachu, "So what do you think is wrong with Kat? So what if we lost a gym battle. We'll just win the next time."

He responded, "I know what she's going through. The feeling of hopelessness, that you can't do anything." We both look over and see that Kat is crying. He continued, "We should probably be there for her, not give her space. We need to remind her that it wasn't her fault and that we are there for her.

That does make sense. Before we could walk back to her, a spearow suddenly flew overhead, calling, "Hello! What brings you around here? It can be kinda dangerous in this part of the forest; beedrill like to make their hives in the trees."

I called back, "Right now isn't the best time. Our trainer isn't the best mood and she needs us right now."

The spearow looked at Kat and nodded. "My papa always said there's strength in a flock. Go to your trainer. We'll meet up some other time." With that, he flew off, probably back to his family.

With the spearow gone, Pikachu and I ran back to Kat and snuggled up to her. I know she couldn't understand me, but I told her anyway, "You don't need to get depressed over what happened. We'll just get stronger. It doesn't matter if you get knocked down. What matters is that you get back up."

Pikachu chimed in, "You're one of the strongest and nicest trainers we know. Don't let a few losses get to you."

Kat then stood up and wiped her tears away. Looking back at us, she smiled and told us, "Thanks guys, I needed that." Wait, did she understand what we said? Maybe she got the gist of what we were saying. She continued, "I'm going to have a plan this time around. WIth a little bit of training, we can beat Brock." That's more like it. Both Pikachu and I looked at her expectantly, wondering what her plan was.

Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. I saw it was about noon; planning can wait. She looked a little sheepish and told us, "Maybe after lunch." We both laughed at that, and she joined us. Spirits lifted, we headed back to the pokémon center, ready to take on the world.

A/N Another chapter down! If you have any comments or helpful criticism, please don't hesitate to review or pm me. I'm grateful for anyone willing to take the time to help me improve my writing. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5 - Bouncing Back

A/N I'm back with another chapter! Just letting you guys know, I'm going to be away at camp next week so there won't be a new chapter on Tuesday, sorry about that. Anyways, here's the next chapter! Reviews are helpful and welcome!

Kat's POV

After a nice lunch at the pokémon center, I headed back to the clearing in Viridian Forest in order to train both Eevee and Pikachu to deal with rock-types. Putting my stuff down on a tree stump, I looked at my pokédex and saw that Eevee could learn Dig and Pikachu could learn Iron Tail.

Turning to both of them, I said, "Okay, we're going to need a plan to deal with rock types. Eevee, you're going to learn Dig, and Pikachu, you're going to learn Iron Tail." Eevee then kind of pawed at the ground, turned to me, and whined. Uhh, I thought that they kind of knew how to learn moves already. "Maybe just keep trying? Eventually you should be able to learn it," I told Eevee. She walked off to another part of the clearing to practice.

Turning to Pikachu, I asked him, "I assume you don't really know what to do either, right?" He nodded in response. Hmm… this one could be tricky. Pawing at the ground to dig holes is one thing, turning a part of your body metal is another. "I don't know, envision your tail turning into iron or something?" He gave me a look as if he was saying, "Are you kidding me?" I sighed, telling him, "Hey, I'm not the pokémon. Just try it, it can't hurt." Squinting, he concentrated. It didn't last very long, but there was a split second where his tail shined metallic. Wow. I didn't expect that to work so well. I encouraged him, "Nice job! Keep trying. Eventually you'll get it."

Note to self: If you're going to have a super-energetic eevee practice Dig, make sure that you have a big area. After an hour or so Eevee had successfully turned half of the clearing into swiss cheese. I guess that means that she got it. As if on cue she jumped out of the ground, showering me with dirt. Surprised, I took a step back and fell into one of the holes she made, falling over and getting dirt all over me. Getting up, I scolded her, "Eevee, don't do that!" She smiled cheekily at me, then continued tearing through the field. I think she'll grow up eventually. I hope.

Checking up on Pikachu, he finally was able to turn his tail metallic for a good few seconds. "Why don't we try practicing on some trees? This way you'll get a sense of how it feels if you hit something with Iron Tail." He nodded, and then did a double take as he noticed that I was covered in dirt. I simply deadpanned, "Blame Eevee." Nodding, he headed towards the forest to practice. The first few attempts I think were quite painful for Pikachu; he wasn't used to smacking things with his tail. After some time, however, he was getting the hang of it, able to shake some of the trees. After a while, Eevee came over to us, finished with her digging, but Pikachu wanted to continue training.

As we followed him into the forest, I heard a loud **CRACK**. Pikachu hit a tree with Iron Tail hard enough to knock it down. I hoped that nobody was using that tree. As soon as I thought that, there was a low **buzzzzz** … That can't be good. A swarm of beedrill flew out of the fallen tree, clearly annoyed. Realizing that all of my stuff (and Eevee and Pikachu's pokéballs) was at the clearing, I started panicking. What do I do? There's no way the beedrill will let us go, and there's no way Eevee and Pikachu could fight off a whole swarm. Suddenly, I had an idea. I crouched down next to Eevee and whispered, "Go back to Pewter City and get help." I know she didn't want to leave me, but we would all be toast if nobody came to help. "Don't worry about us, Pikachu and I will hold them off." With one last look at us Eevee quickly dug into the ground, leaving me and Pikachu alone.

"Think you can handle this?" I asked Pikachu, "Remember, you don't have to win. You just have to hold them off long enough for help to get here." Slightly reassured, Pikachu faced the massive group of beedrill, cheeks sparking.

I told him, "Light 'em up with Thundershock!" He did, sending an arc of electricity hitting many beedrill at once. It wasn't enough however, and soon Pikachu got tired and had to stop the attack. The beedrill retaliated, shooting Poison Stings at him. I tried telling him to dodge, but he hesitated for a split second too long, and one hit his paw. Limping, he stood in front of me, protecting me from the beedrill. Due to his injured paw, he was much less agile and got hit several more times. Seeing that Pikachu was in no condition to fight, I picked him up and ran with the beedrill hive chasing after me.

Eevee's POV

When the beedrill appeared from the tree that Pikachu just knocked down, the last thing I wanted to do was to run away. Kat told me to go back to Pewter City to get help, and while I wanted to help fight them off, I knew that she knew what she was doing and can handle herself. I quickly used my new move Dig to escape and head towards Pewter City.

Or at least where I thought was Pewter City. After a few minutes, I realized that I had no idea where I was while I was while underground. Surfacing, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar part of the forest. Come on, come on, come on. Where is that city? Every second I'm out here Kat or Pikachu could be hurt by the beedrill. I need to find a way out of here. While trying to think where to go, the spearow from before came down.

"Hey, you look lost. It's pretty far out from the city. Wait, where's your trainer and the pikachu?"

Suddenly, I just realized. He lives in this forest, so he probably knows where the city is. I quickly told him, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry. My trainer and Pikachu are being attacked by beedrill, and I need to find help in Pewter City. Can you tell me where it is?"

He looked a little surprised and told me, "I thought I warned you about that. Anyway, the city is this way," pointing a wing.

Before he could say anything else, I started running and called back, "Thanks!" I have to get to the city to save Kat and Pikachu. I just hope I'm not too late.

Kat's POV

Suddenly we found a dead end in the forest; a cliffside prevented us from running any farther. The persistent beedrill were still after us, and Pikachu was too injured to fight. Putting Pikachu behind me, I boldly told the beedrill, "If you want to get to him, you're going to have to go through me." A searing pain went through my arm as a beedrill hit me with a Poison Sting. Several more shots brought me to the ground, hugging Pikachu close to my chest to protect him. All I could feel was the burning pain of the poison stings. I closed my eyes and told Pikachu,

"Sorr- *gasp* Sorry I couldn't keep you safe." When I thought the pain couldn't get any worse I heard,

"D...don't be. I'm s...s..sorry I was so w...weak."

Right then the pain stopped and instead it felt as if every cell in my body was surging with power. Did Pikachu do that? I opened my eyes and the last thing I saw was Pikachu's eyes looking at me in a mixture of awe and confusion before I blacked out.


	6. Chapter 6 - Rescue

A/N So here's the next chapter! Sorry I couldn't post last week, but I was kind of in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, thanks for coming and R&R!

Eevee's POV

It feels as if I've been running through this forest for ages, with no city in sight. I really hope that the spearow gave me the right directions. Suddenly, I could see buildings in the distance. Yes! Speeding up, I head into the city.

I need to find the gym; Brock would be able to help us. After blindly running around the city for a bit, I find the big stone building that was the gym. There are lights on although the door was closed and I can't reach the handle. I won't let a door stop me though. Kat and Pikachu need me. Looking down, I see that the floor is solid rock which is too hard for me to dig through. Well, that won't work. Ignoring my fatigue, I slam a Quick Attack into the door. The door held, but it make quite a loud noise. I can't tell if anyone heard me, but I had to keep trying. Quick Attack after Quick Attack I pounded the door, but still nobody showed up. After a few times I start to stumble, but I have to get through.

Mustering the last of my strength, I run into the door with all of my might. Somebody just happened to opened the door right before I would have collided with it, so instead I collide into him. Yes, I found Brock! Wait, not Brock. He looks kinda similar though, maybe a sibling. Not really paying attention to him, I ask the pokémon around, "Do you know where Brock is? My trainer needs help." Most of the pokémon look at me confused, but the geodude I battled earlier simply points to a back door.

Jumping off of the boy, I run straight for the door, which was thankfully opened. I find Brock filling out some paperwork, and as he noticed me run in he raised an eyebrow. He asks me, "What are you doing here this late? Wait, aren't you the eevee I battled today? Where's your trainer?"

Frantically I gasp, "You need to… to help! Kat and P… Pikachu are in trouble, and I... I ran here to get you." He looks at me blankly, so I try grabbing his leg and dragging him out the door. I think he finally got the idea because he grabbed a few pokéballs, returned some pokémon in the gym, and followed me out the door. I start running, and he ran to keep up with me. Even though I'm nearly exhausted I have to go faster. Who knows how long it has been since I left? An hour? Two? Each second they were out there they were in danger. I find the tree that Pikachu knocked down, although there was nothing there except for a few electrical scorch marks. I did find some footprints, so I call Brock over, and we start following them. Running ahead of Brock I find a clearing near a cliffside with Kat lying on the ground and a barely conscious Pikachu standing guard. Is Kat okay? I hope I wasn't too late. When I ran over, Pikachu looked relieved and then promptly passed out. I hope he's okay too. Running to Kat, I try shaking her but she wouldn't get up, although my fur did stand on end similarly to this morning when Pikachu shocked me.

I hear Brock make his way to the cliffside, and he calls out, "Back up! I'll take care of her." He came over and started checking her pulse and stuff. He tells me, "You're lucky, not many people can escape a beedrill swarm." Before I could ask how he knew it was beedrill, he continued on, "It looks like she has multiple poison sting wounds, and beedrill are the only thing in the area that could do this. She'll be alright, just exhaustion and lots of minor cuts and scrapes." He pauses, then speaks again, "Although, she has some minor electrical burns. Probably from Pikachu protecting her." Going to Pikachu, he does the same thing and says, "Pikachu will be fine as well, although he has more severe battle injuries." He pulls out his phone and makes a call. I simply just curled up next to Kat, glad that she's going to be okay.

After a few minutes of silence, one thing started nagging at me. How did Kat and Pikachu escape the beedrill? From the looks of it, Pikachu fought near the tree, which would explain the scorch marks, but lost, forcing the two of them to run until they were cornered by the cliffside. There's no way Kat could fight off a beedrill swarm, so why did the beedrill leave? Also, why did Kat's clothes make my fur stick up? Pikachu can do that with electricity, but Kat?

The sound of a pidgeot landing catches my attention, but it wasn't the police. Instead, some guy in a blue cloak dismounts the pidgeot and walks over to us. He seems a little older than Brock and has a mysterious aura around him. When he reaches us, I take a defensive stance in front of Kat and tell him, "Back off. Who are you? Where are the police?" He simply smiled and tells me, "Hey, easy. I don't want to hurt her. My name's Luke, and I'm part of a government task force called the G-men." I just stand there, dumbfounded. He could understand me? What? How? Am I dreaming? I pinched myself just to be sure. Yep, not dreaming.

He speaks up again, "May I?" I simply nod and he picks Kat up and gently places her on the pidgeot. Picking up Pikachu and holding him, he gets on his pidgeot and tells Brock and me, "I'll meet you back in Pewter City. They will both be fine, although the sooner we get them to the pokémon center, the better."

I give a look at Brock, who explained, "The police can't drive their motorcycles and get here in the middle of the forest, so I called a friend. Don't worry, they're both going to be okay. Come on, it's getting late and we should head back." Following him, we somehow make it back to the clearing where I practiced Dig. Oh wait! Kat's bag! I'm pretty sure she left it here. Looking around, I find it lying next to a tree stump, and bring it to Brock so he could take it.

A few minutes pass, and I'm getting impatient at the slow walking pace Brock and I were taking. "Come on, hurry up! I don't want to get back to the city as soon as possible."

He notices my agitated tone and sighs. "Relax, I know you're worried, but it worrying won't help them. Your friend is in good hands, and we're almost out of the forest anyway."

True to his word, we see the lights of Pewter City as we exited the forest. Leaving Brock behind, I run/stumble to the pokémon center where I saw the pidgeot from earlier. She calmly tells me, "Your trainer's inside. Don't worry, she's fine. The pikachu too." I run inside and find the guy in a blue cloak… what was his name… oh, right, Luke. Kat and Pikachu are resting, looking much better than when I found them in the forest.

Luke spoke up, "I guess you're pretty tired from running around all day. Brock filled me in on what you did. You too must have a special bond."

While he was speaking, it finally occurred to me how tired I really was. Running from Viridian Forest to Pewter City, back, and then back to Pewter City is really tiring, even for me. Too tired to really respond, I yawn and tell him, "Her name's Kat," then curl up to Kat and fall asleep.


	7. Chapter 7 - Discovery

A/N Hello again! Here with another chapter. This is the longest chapter so far, and I'm proud. I know that my chapters are pretty short, but I don't have that much time and can't write that much. I would rather be consistent with shorter chapters then make you guys wait a while. Thanks to Blackheart303 for reviewing, it means a lot. Also to DracoSheild234 if your story is published I would love to read it, I think it's interesting and funny that both our protagonists have the same name. Anyway, R&R please!

Kat's POV

I'm back in dream world again, floating in clouds. Wait. I blacked out in the middle of Viridian Forest and Pikachu is too hurt to do anything. I need to wake up, fast. I then hear a familiar booming voice,

 **"Hello again, child."**

Before he could continue, I interrupt him, "How do I get out of this place? Both Pikachu and I are in danger right now in the real world. I don't know if the beedrill are still out there."

He calmly tells me, **"You have nothing to worry about. You scared off the beedrill, and your eevee found Brock. You and your pikachu are currently resting in the pokémon center, safe and sound."**

Thankful, I let out a sigh of relief. What? I scared off the beedrill? I asked Arceus, "What do you mean I scared off the beedrill?

 **"You used your gift. For the second time actually."**

What? Second time? Nothing spectacular happened on my journey so far except for encountering the Rockets and the beedrill…

Wait.

Those were the two instances in my journey where everything kind of gets blurred. I remember running away from the Rockets, but how did they let me go? I doubt they just waited for me to pass through. The beedrill, I was in too much pain to really remember much, but I do remember that Pikachu was really hurt and somehow shocked both me and the beedrill. What does he mean I scared off the beedrill? How?

While I was thinking, something appeared in front of me. It's a beautiful but simple necklace with a small clear crystal. Arceus explains,

 **"While using your gift, it has come to my attention that you could accidentally hurt yourself. This necklace will help shield yourself from the excess power until you can control it."**

This doesn't make anything less confusing. I take the necklace, then ask him, "What exactly is my gift? Excess power? What does any of this mean?"

He maintains his calm demeanor, cryptically saying, **"You'll find out eventually. It's time for you to wake up. Take care."**

With that, the world fades and I wake up in the pokémon center with Eevee curled up next to me and Pikachu in the next bed over. Feeling something on my chest I find the crystal necklace that Arceus gave me. Whoa. Okay, my conversations with Arceus are definitely not dreams. I must have woken Eevee up, because she slowly uncurls, yawns, blinks a few times, then jumps on me, happy I was okay.

I learned the hard way that pokémon centers can't instantly heal everything. As soon as Eevee jumps on me, pain flares up from my back. She looks concerned, but I hug her and assure her, "It's okay. I'm okay. You did awesome. Both of us would have been toast if it wasn't for you."

A man in a blue cloak walks in, telling me, "Hey, Kat. Good morning. Get a good night's rest? You seemed pretty bad when I showed up."

A little confused, I ask him, "Who are you? I thought that Brock saved me."

He looks a little sheepish, then says, "I'm sorry. Where are my manners. My name's Luke, and I'm a part of a government task force called the G-men. Brock called me after he and your eevee found you and your pikachu in the forest."

Oh. Well that explains a few things; he saved me. I replied, "Thanks for saving me." I pause, noticing something. "Wait… how did you know my name?"

"Brock told me."

Oh. Well that was stupid of me. Of course Brock would tell him who I was if he saved me.

His phone buzzes. Looking at it, he frowns, then says, "Sorry, gotta run. G-men business. See ya!" With that, he ran out before I could even say goodbye.

Soon after, Pikachu stirs, yawning as he slowly wakes up. I grab Eevee, making sure that she doesn't jump on him too. He blinks a few times, then looks a little downcast as he sees me. Why is he feeling bad? He scared off the beedrill… didn't he? I tell him, "Don't worry. Both of us are fine. Besides, now we're just stronger to take on the next challenge." Getting out of the hospital bed, I tell both of my pokémon, "Come on, the past is in the past. We're stronger now, and if we could survive a beedrill swarm, we can survive anything."

I was about to leave the pokémon center when Nurse Joy sees me and exclaims, "What are you doing out of bed! You need to rest, not train or battle! I will not allow you to get yourself hurt again!"

Sheesh sheesh, fine. Well, if I couldn't train, I might as well do some research, particularly on Arceus. I still don't know really anything about him other than what he looks like. I ask Nurse Joy, "Would it be okay if I just went to the library? There's something I want to look up."

She looks a little conflicted but eventually gives in. "Okay, you can go. But no training or battling for you, missy! I don't want to have to see you in here because you got yourself hurt again, you hear me?"

Wow. I underestimated how serious Nurse Joys were about their jobs. I just tell her, "Thanks!" and walk to the library, an old but clean looking building towards the edge of the city. Walking inside, I find a large open room with bookshelves all over the walls, and a few hallways. Going up to the front desk, I ask the lady sitting there, "Hello. Would you by any chance have a book on a pokémon named Arceus?"

She thinks for a few seconds, then replies, "Sorry, I don't know what pokémon you're talking about. If you want the books on pokémon are in the back. Just please make sure your pokémon are quiet. It's nice seeing a trainer in here every once in a while. Good luck!"

I thank her and made my way to the back of the library, a much older-looking section of the library. The only other person here is a woman with blond hair with lots of open ancient-looking books around her. There are a lot of books on various pokémon here, where do I start? I manage to find an encyclopedia that looked older than I was. Blowing the dust off I find an index. Yes!

As I look through the 'A' section, I find entries for Abra, Aerodactyl, Alakazam, Arbok, Arcanine, Articuno. No Arceus. Darn. I put the book back, trying to think of where I could find information on the mysterious pokémon in my dreams. The other person in the room asks me,

"Are you looking for information on a pokémon? I might be able to help you with that. What's your name and what pokémon are you looking for?"

Well, if it's not in this encyclopedia, I doubt that she'll know what it is. I turned, awkwardly saying, "Uh, hi. My name's Kat, and I'm looking for anything on a pokémon called Arceus." At this her eyes widen slightly. So she does know something!

She takes a moment, then says, "I will admit, Arceus is a very unusual pokémon to research, especially around Kanto. So tell me, how did you learn of Arceus in the first place?"

Should I tell her? She seems nice enough, not like those Rockets. She seems like a good person. "He's been popping up in my dreams recently, telling me I have a gift, although I have no idea what that gift could be."

She takes a few moments to process this, then sighs. "Well, I don't think you're part of Team Rocket, and if Arceus is interested in you it usually isn't good." Wait, Team Rocket? What do they have to do with any of this? She goes on, "Arceus is a legendary pokémon from my home region of Sinnoh, and is rumored to be the creator of the universe. Recently Team Rocket grunts have been spotted in Sinnoh near Mount Coronet, his reported home, and I've traveled to Kanto to figure out why. If Arceus is interested in you, be careful and stay safe. I don't want you getting caught up in Team Rocket's schemes."

Whoa. So the supposed creator of the universe who lives regions away is interested in some random trainer from Viridian City? Why is he interested in me? And what does Team Rocket, which is based in Kanto, doing in Sinnoh?

While these thoughts were racing through my head, the woman's phone starts buzzing. I knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but I couldn't but hear part of the conversation.

"What is it? I'm doing important research right now."

"..."

"Already? Fine, I'll be there ASAP"

She turns to me with a small frown on her face. "Well, I have to run. Stay safe." With that she gets up.

I then realize I don't know who she is. Right before she leaves, I ask, "What's your name?"

She turns around and quickly tells me, "Cynthia", then walks out. Following her, I ask, "Wait, why did you help…"

Outside the library, she was nowhere in sight. Where could she have gone? Maybe she had a pokémon that could fly, or had teleport. Oh well.

In her hurry to leave it seems like she just left all of the books she was reading lying about. I pick an old, dog-eared book up and read the title. "Legendary pokémon and the balance of the universe" Maybe Arceus is mentioned in this book! Flipping through it I find that many of the entries are scratched out or illegible. Someone even tore out the page between Lugia and Moltres. Like the encyclopedia I looked at earlier, this book doesn't have a page on Arceus. Ugh, maybe some of these other books can help.

An hour later, and I still don't know any more than when I came here. Most of the books Cynthia was reading have to deal with science and cloning that I couldn't understand, and the rest were in such bad condition I couldn't learn anything from them. At this point both Eevee and Pikachu are snoozing together on a nearby chair.

Well, It doesn't look like I can do much more here, so instead I wake Pikachu and Eevee up and we head back to Viridian Forest to simply relax. I couldn't train or battle, but it was nice to have some downtime after the encounter with the beedrill.

Third Person POV

Cynthia quickly dismounts her trusty garchomp near the Cerulean Gym, where Misty, the gym leader, Lance, the champion of Kanto and Johto, and Luke were waiting.

Misty begins, "So now that we're all here, could somebody please explain why two champions and a G-men agent are in my city?"

Lance answers her question with a question. "How much do you know of the pokémon Mewtwo?"

Misty frowns. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lance stoically replies, "Just answer the question."

Misty thinks for a bit. "Uh, not very much, why? All I know is that he was some super powerful Team Rocket experiment that went wrong and escaped."

Luke explains, "Recently there have been G-men reports of a strong psychic presence in this city, particularly near Cerulean Cave. From the looks of it, Mewtwo resides in the rarely-visited cave, preferring a life of solitude. Normally, we would just leave him alone, but unfortunately Team Rocket has also somehow found Mewtwo's whereabouts. Rocket grunts have been spotted throughout the city, watching Cerulean Cave. Rocket hasn't made a definite move on the cave yet, but you can never be too careful. In the meanwhile, continue on as if everything's normal. We don't want to alarm the residents, but rest assured; myself, Cynthia, and Lance will be in the city in case something should happen."

At this point Misty is now angry and confused. "So you want me to just pretend that nothing's wrong even though there are Team Rocket agents running around my city and a freakishly powerful weapon living in my backyard? Cerulean isn't an urban center like Viridian or a small town like Pallet. This is a family town. Lots of kids live here. What do you want me to tell them, that everything's fine even though your kids are in danger?"

Cynthia jumps in. "Calm down. As far as we know, Mewtwo isn't hostile. He hasn't made any attacks on the city or the residents, and he seems to just want peace. Team Rocket, on the other hand, is the threat. If they get their hands on Mewtwo again and turn him into their weapon, it could be disastrous for the region. Luckily, they're lying low for now. If anything happens, we'll be there to stop it."

Misty takes a deep breath, then sighs. "Okay, fine. But if Rockets start fighting in my city or Mewtwo attacks, I'm not afraid to unleash hell."

Lance coolly replies, "Fine by us. We'll be around."

With that he, Cynthia, and Luke board their dragonite, garchomp, and pidgeot, respectively, and fly to a nearby camp in the forest. Once they arrive, Cynthia calls out her Spiritomb. "You're on night watch. If anything happens let us know." Spiritomb simply nods and vanishes.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Cynthia sighs. "First Arceus, then Mewtwo. What does Team Rocket want with them?"

Lance responds, "Whatever it is, it isn't good. I've got the G-men watching all possible locations where legendaries have been frequently spotted, like the Ilex forest and Ecruteak.

Cynthia adds, "We've also got another problem. I think Arceus has already picked a champion."

Lance breathes in sharply. "Do you know who it is? If Arceus has already picked somebody things are worse than we thought."

She nods. "I met her in the Pewter Library, trying to look up info on Arceus. She seems like a new trainer, with an eevee and a pikachu."

Luke's eyes widen. "I think I might have met her, and I'm think you're right. She had a nasty scrape with some beedrill yesterday. When Brock found her there were no beedrill in sight. That pikachu of hers isn't strong enough to fend off an entire swarm, and I noticed some electrical burns on the inside of her clothes, not the outside."

Lance grimaces. "Well, what should we do? This girl could just decide the fate of the region."

There is a brief silence, then Cynthia speaks up. "I think we should just let her go on her journey but keep tabs on her. She's just a new trainer and doesn't need the weight of this on her shoulders. Of all of us, Luke is the least recognizable, and you've already met her. You don't need to babysit her, but keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't get in too much trouble. Lance and I will hold the fort in Cerulean in case anything happens."

"Okay. If you need me just call." With that Luke jumps on his pidgeot and flies off into the night.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pewter Gym Rematch!

A/N Hello again! Here's the next chapter, not as long as the last one but around my 1,500 word average. R&R please!

Kat's POV

It's been a few days since the incident with the beedrill, and during those past few days Eevee, Pikachu, and I trained hard for our rematch against Brock. I would have challenged him earlier but Nurse Joy would only let me train, so my pokémon and I took the opportunity to get stronger and prepare.

When we approach the rock building for the second time, Eevee is still as excited as can be, while Pikachu and I are slightly more reserved. Both of us remember our spectacular failure last time, and neither of us are going to repeat that again.

Brock was waiting in the gym for us. "Back so soon? I thought you would have wanted to take a longer break."

I call back, "Yep, and this time I'm going to win."

"Okay, then. Go Geodude!" The floating rock materialized, ready for battle.

"I think Pikachu wants a rematch." Determined, he walks onto the field, getting into a combat stance.

"You know the deal already, two on two battle until a both of a trainers' pokémon are unable to battle. As the challenger, you can have the first move."

I smirk and call out, "Agility!" Pikachu quickly starts running around Geodude, almost too fast for my eye to follow.

Brock smirks slightly, remarking, "Didn't you learn from last time? Geodude just walk in the way."

As the rock starts to move, it's my turn to smirk. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

Brock goes from smug to panicked quickly. "Wait, Geodude, don't-"

It was too late. Pikachu, with all of the extra speed from agility, slams his metal tail into Geodude, sending him across the arena. Unfortunately, he gets up, albeit shakily.

Brock asks, "Can you still battle?"

"Geo!"

"Okay then, use tackle!"

Considering all of the speed boosts from agility and training with Eevee over the past few days, it really isn't surprising when Pikachu sidesteps, dodging the charging rock with ease. This pattern repeats for a few times when Brock called out, "Geodude, Rock Polish!" Wait, what does that do again? Suddenly Geodude sped towards Pikachu much faster than before. Geodude's tackle connects, sending Pikachu across the field.

"No! Pikachu, are you okay?"

Brock explains, "Rock Polish is a move that sharply increases a pokémon's speed, a useful counter to speedy pokémon like your Pikachu.

I look towards Pikachu who gets up, a little battered, but still able to battle. "Okay, no more fun and games. End this with Iron Tail!"

Brock also calls out, "Geodude, meet it with tackle!'

Both pokémon collide, throwing up a big dust cloud. When the dust settles, I can see Geodude out cold and Pikachu panting and exhausted, but still standing.

"That was awesome Pikachu. Why don't you take a break." Nodding, he slowly walks over to my trainer box, while Eevee congratulates him, then jumps in and takes his place.

"Well, you've certainly improved, I'll give you that. But how have you prepared to deal with Onix!" The intimidating rock snake roared, trying to scare me and Eevee. Both of us were ready, and weren't afraid.

I took the initiative first. "Eevee use Quick Attack!" Eevee turns into a blur as she races towards Onix.

Brock looks puzzled for a moment, then says, "Just wait for her to get close and then use bind." He turns to me. "I thought you remembered that normal types were not effective on rock types."

Perfect. "Who says I wanted to attack? Eevee, Dig now!" Eevee quickly dug into the ground, leaving Onix grabbing empty air. She popped up a second later, dealing serious damage to her massive opponent. Backing off, she turns to face Onix, ready for round two.

Well, using Quick Attack to get close isn't going to work a second time, and I can't let Onix get close to Eevee. "Eevee, dig again!" She disappears into the ground, and I grin only to see Brock grinning as well.

"Onix! Tackle the ground!" The big rock snake jumped, then landed hard on the ground. The ground shakes for a bit, and I almost lose my balance. What did that do? Eevee's safe underground. Eevee's cry of pain interrupts my thoughts as she surfaces, barely standing.

"How the- What the-"

Brock sees my confusion and explains, "Earthquake is a very powerful move that is much more effective on pokémon in the ground. Onix doesn't know Earthquake, but with his large size using Tackle on the ground is a close imitation.

Well shoot. What do I do now? Eevee can't get close to Onix with Dig, and her normal type moves don't do anything. I look around and notice something. The walls and ceiling are also made of rock, just like the floor!* This might just work.

"Eevee, use Dig!" A little confused, she complies, disappearing into the ground.

Brock frowns. "Onix, Tackle on the ground again!" The rock snake prepares to deliver the punishing blow when I call out, "Eevee, Dig into the walls!"

As Onix lands and nothing happens for a few seconds, I start to panic. Eevee's okay, right? I mean, there was no cry of pain, but could that be because she's knocked out underground? I hope my plan worked.

Brock's about to call the match when Eevee bursts out of the wall, hitting Onix dead on. He falls back, out cold.

After a few seconds, it finally dawns on me that I won. I run out and gently pick up Eevee, telling her, "That was awesome. You won."

Brock waits for a minute then clears his throat. "Congratulations. For defeating me, I present to you the Boulder Badge." Still holding Eevee, I take the badge, then put it in my pocket. Letting Pikachu climb onto my shoulder, I leave the gym and head to the pokémon center to get Eevee and Pikachu healed.

At the pokémon center, both Eevee and Pikachu were happy and excited due to our win. After lunch, I let them run around a bit in the clearing in the forest where we had trained. As they were playing, my mind wandered to Arceus and the crystal he gave me. The mysterious legendary has not appeared in my dreams recently.

What is my supposed gift? I keep replaying those events with Team Rocket and the beedrill in my head, but I have no idea what gift he's talking about. I guess I'll just ask him the next time I see him.

Eevee's POV

Even hours after our victory against Brock, I still have tons of energy. Oddly enough, so does Pikachu, but who cares. The two of us were just running around without a care in the world while Kat did her own thing. A tree rustled in the distance. Running after it, I saw a familiar bird.

Pikachu runs after me. "Eevee! What are you doing? We shouldn't be out here in the forest."

I ignore him and face the spearow. "Hey, how's it going? You're that spearow that helped me out earlier, right? Thanks again for helping me."

He blinks, then mumbles, "yeah, no problem."

I keep going, "It was so awesome! Today Pikachu my trainer and I won our first gym badge against a floating rock and a really really big rock snake. It was tough but we did it."

At this point Pikachu shushes me. Why would he do that? He asks the spearow, "Hey, is everything alright?"

Now that I think about it something was off. Usually the spearow who I've met two or three times now is more talkative, but he's barely said a word. He just tells us, "Don't worry about it." What happened? Is he okay? Does he need our help?

As if Pikachu could read my mind, he asked, "If you need to talk to someone, we're both here to listen. Probably. I don't know about Eevee." Hey, I resent that! Wait, did he say something else?

I hear Kat in the distance, "Eevee! Pikachu! Where are you guys! Come on, it's getting dark!"

The spearow tells us, his voice wavering, "Y… You should go. Fa… Family's important." He then flies off into the forest. That was weird. Oh well, Kat's waiting for us.

Pikachu quickly calls out, "We're headed to Cerulean City next if you need someone to talk to!" I don't know if he heard him or not. I turn to Pikachu, "Come on, let's go." We both run back through the forest to Kat and jump into her arms.

"Oomph! Would it hurt to walk for just a little bit?" I give her my cutest smile and she just rolls her eyes as we head back to Pewter City.

 ***This idea is totally not mine, it came from Saphroneth and her fic _Ashes of the Past_. It's easily one of the best fics on this site (in my opinion) and I highly recommend it.**

A/N Another chapter done! I hope the battle section is okay, I'm trying to find new ideas so it's not super stale. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9 - Mount Moon

A/N Yay, another chapter! Thanks as always to the people who take the time to read this story and follow/favorite and whatnot. Anyway, on with the chapter! R&R Please!

Kat's POV

I'm so pumped after my win against Brock. Pikachu and Eevee are excited too. After picking up a map at the pokémon center, I see that the closest town to Pewter is Cerulean City, although I have to pass through Mount Moon to get there. There are warnings about wild pokémon, namely zubat, but Eevee and Pikachu should be able to handle it. Pikachu also helps light up the place so I'm not walking blind as well.

When we enter Mount Moon I'm surprised to see that it isn't as dark as I thought it was going to be. It's a bit dim, but still navigational. I tell my pokémon, "Guys, I don't want to lose you, so stay clo-"

Aaand, Eevee just ran off. Great. I call out, "Come on, Eevee, don't go too far!" She just kind of looks at me, then runs off. Exasperated, I run after her with Pikachu behind me.

It isn't long until Eevee comes running back to us, looking scared. I tell her, "You shouldn't run off like that. You could be hurt." I then hear a low rumbling sound. _That's probably not good._ A group of graveler roll up, and they look really upset.

I'm about to tell my pokémon to run but there are graveler behind us too. _Seriously? How many pokémon did Eevee tick off?_

 _ **Crack**_

 _Uhh, what was that?_ I see cracks appear on the ground we're standing on. _That's not good._

 _ **Crack**_

More cracks spiderweb across the floor. The graveler, apparently oblivious to this, roll towards us and abruptly fall through the floor. _Whew! They can't get to us._ The other graveler realized this as well, and just rolled away slightly annoyed.

 _ **Crrraaccckkk**_

 _Are you kidding me?!_ I think as the floor finally breaks under me and my pokémon.

I land hard on the tunnel beneath us. When the dust settles, I find Eevee and Pikachu nearby, slightly banged up but for the most part okay. I slowly stand up and feel a sharp pain in my ankle, almost falling again. Well crap. I think it's a sprain. Taking a look through my bag I saw that almost everything survived, except the map was missing. _Of course. Could today be any worse? First Eevee runs off, then we meet a bunch of wild graveler, and now I can barely walk and am lost in a mountain._

Eevee kind of just blinks and shakes some of the dust out of her fur, then just keeps on walking like nothing happened. I can't catch up to her with my ankle hurt, so I call out, "Eevee, seriously, I don't have time for this. Stay close to me, alrighty?" Thankfully she comes back, and we start slowly heading through the tunnels.

We continue walking for what seems like hours, when Eevee's ears perk up, and then she runs off **again**. _Are you kidding me?_ Turning to Pikachu, I just sigh, "Come on," and limp after her. Suddenly, Eevee stops, and I can hear voices and see a light a distance.

"Come on, let's just get outta here. We already caught that fearow in Viridian Forest and a rare dratini. What more do you want? The boss has gotta be happy with this."

"Shhh. You'll scare them away. Legend has it that clefairy hang around Mount Moon."

"Don't clefairy like the moon, you idiot? There's no moonlight in here. Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, the moon. Mount Moon."

 _As if my day couldn't get any worse, I get to stumble into Team Rocket again, the same grunts as last time. I can't let them just hurt more pokémon though._ Telling Eevee and Pikachu to be quiet, we slowly make our way towards the light. As we get closer, I hear a pokémon cry out.

"Tiiiinii"

"Shut up you brat. Nobody's going to hear you down here."

That must be the dratini. I can't let them hurt it. We hide behind some rocks, where I can see the two grunts poor dratini in a cage. I whisper to my pokémon, "Okay, here's the plan. Eevee, you lead off with a Sand Attack, and then Pikachu follow up with Thundershock." I see Pikachu flinch. RIght, forgot about his history with Rocket. "How about this. Eevee and I will distract the Rockets while Pikachu breaks the cage with Iron Tail." Slightly reassured, Pikachu nods.

Coming out of my hiding spot, I shout to the grunts, "Hey! Release that dratini!"

They turn in surprise, then start laughing. "You again! Really! You couldn't beat us last time, and you won't beat us now."

 _This is payback for what you did earlier._ "You sure about that? Go, Eevee!"

"Go Ekans!" "Go Koffing!"

 _Last time I couldn't win. This time I don't have to._ "Eevee, use Quick Attack on Ekans!" Training for the Pewter Gym must have paid off since Ekans didn't even get an attack off. In the background I see Pikachu getting ready to break the dratini out. Luckily neither of the grunts notice.

"Grr… Come on Ekans! Use Poison Sting!"

"Sand Attack!" Eevee threw sand in Ekans' eyes, but the Poison Sting still landed. The grunt turned to his partner. "Whattya doing! Attack it!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh! Koffing, Smog!" The poison gas filled the room, making it hard to see. The grunt with the ekans shouted, "You idiot! Now we can't see!"

There was a loud bang behind the grunts. _Yes! Pikachu did it!_ Through the smoke cloud, Pikachu and the dratini made it to me.

The grunt with the Koffing shouted back, "I'm tired of this. Koffing, Self-Destruct!"

"No! Don't do that! You'll hit both of-"

 _ **BOOM**_

Once the dust cloud settled, I could see the figures of Ekans and Koffing, both knocked out. Thinking that we could just leave, I turned around when a bright blue bolt shot past me hitting the wall and coating it with… with ice?

"Oh, you thought that just because you beat us that you could just walk away, is that it? We got some new toys, and I'd hate to see you become popsicles. So just turn around, and nobody gets hurt."

I slowly turn around, and I see Eevee in front of me although Pikachu and Dratini were behind me, deathly afraid. I guess that ice gun is how they got Dratini in the first place.

I whisper to Pikachu, "The only way we're getting out of this one is if you thundershock that gun. Don't be scared. I know you can-"

"Stop whispering! Now hand over the pokéballs and the dratini and you'll get outta here alive."

Behind him his partner asked him, "So, how're we goin to move the dratini now? Dat Pikachu busted the cage."

The lead grunt turns, shouting, "Are you kidding me! Now's not the-"

"Come on Pikachu, now's our chance." Bravely he charges up and fires a Thundershock and hits the gun straight on. Unfortunately, it didn't do much except let off a few sparks.

"Ha! That pathetic rat can't do anything! Might as well put it out of its misery." He aims and fires the gun launching a blue beam straight at Pikachu.

I could almost see the beam moving in slow motion but I couldn't get myself to move. Pikachu just stands there in shock when Eevee pushes him out of the way, taking the hit herself. She is thrown against the wall and doesn't get back up.

"Eevee!" I run over to her, and thankfully she's still alive. I turn and see the grunt with the gun pointed at me now. He smiles evilly and tells me, "You're next, girly." I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable.

"Pi. Ka. CHUUUU!"

I hear the grunt cry out in pain. Opening my eyes, I see that the gun is sparking and smoking. Whatever Pikachu did, it certainly wasn't a thundershock. The grunt looks at it fearfully, then runs and yells at his partner. "Come on, run! That thing's gonna blow!"

I pick up Eevee and tell the others, "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

We barely make it ten feet away when the gun explodes, throwing us across the cave.

Once my ears stopped ringing, I look around. Pikachu and Dratini are here, I'm still holding the unconscious Eevee, and a new wall was made where we were standing five seconds earlier.. I guess that explosion must have caused a cave-in.

Next to me, Dratini started to cry. _It must only be a baby_. Hugging it, I softly whisper, "Don't worry, we're going to find your family. We'll get out of this mountain and find your family, I promise." I pick him up gently, which isn't easy due to my sprained ankle, and slowly make my way down the tunnel.

After what seems like forever, a bunch of rocks suddenly move in front of us. _Oh wait, it's those graveler again, isn't it._ _My luck can't get any worse, can it?_ Looking behind us I see that more graveler appeared. _Nope, it just did. Well, we're trapped, and probably going to die down here to a bunch of graveler. Lovely._

Suddenly Dratini jumps out of my arms and unleashes a blue flame that knocks the graveler back. _What was that? If Dratini is that powerful, then how powerful are his parents?_ A little shocked, the graveler hesitate for a second before Dratini shoots more dragon-flame, sending them rolling away.

After the graveler rolled away, he lies down, exhausted. I don't blame him, he's only a baby. I pick him up, telling him, "Great job!"

In the distance a faint "Dragu!" is heard. Dratini perks up, going "Tini! Tini!" _That must be his parents._ Following the noise, we finally see light. Running outside I saw two dragonite were flying around in the distance. Dratini jumps out of my arms, shouting "Dratini! Tini!" and shoots off a blast of dragon-flame into the sky. The two dragonite fly down and start charging attacks, but Dratini immediately jumps in front of me, saying "Tini! Dratini!" The attacks die down as they tear up and hug him. It was nice to see the family reunited. The sun was shining and a spearow was flying around. Even though all of the bad things happened to us in that mountain, this moment made up for it.

Eventually Dratini comes up to me and hugs me for a while. It was really sweet. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and he then goes with his parents who fly off with a farewell, "Dragu!"

As I slowly limp my way over to Cerulean City I hear a voice. "Holy crap are you okay? You look like-"

The voice seems to fade as my vision gets blurry. The last thing I see is someone running towards me when my vision finally goes dark.

So yeah. A sprained ankle, upgraded Rockets, wild graveler, and hours of walking finally took its toll on Kat. I guess just stay tuned to see what happens. AgentLucario Out!


	10. Chapter 10 - Making a Splash

A/N Hey guys, school finally started for me today (yaaaay... :P). I should still be able to continue with my weekly updates, that's mostly why they're so short. Also, somehow this fic was put on Pokémon's Best of the Best, which is awesome considering I started seriously writing less than two months ago. Thanks to Wyldclaw (I'm pretty sure) for that. Anyways, here's the chapter!

Kat's POV

I'm back in dreamland again. Arceus's figure appears out of the nothingness with a grim look on his face. Something's not right.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He looks… almost sad. He somberly replies, **"The world is about to face a grave danger. And you're the only one that can stop it."**

 _What? What danger? Why am I the only one that can stop it? Isn't that the job of the champion or something?_

Arceus's expression doesn't change, but his eyes turn glassy. He ominously says,

 **Beware the space plane**

 **In the home of the bat**

 **Embrace the hermit**

 **Save the second cat**

 _What!?_ As the world starts to fade, I desperately cry out, "What does that mean? What does any of this mean?"

I open my eyes and find myself lying comfortably somewhere in the forest. There was somebody holding a canteen to my mouth. "Drink."

I croak out, "Who are-"

"There will be time for introductions later. For now, you're really dehydrated. Drink."

I take long gulps of the refreshing water, and my throat feels better immediately. Sitting up, I see Eevee and Pikachu snoozing together a little ways away. _At least they're okay_. Turning to my mystery rescuer, I see a young man maybe a year or two older than I am with messy brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"So who are you? What happened? The last thing I remember was walking on the path to Cerulean City."

He replies, "My name's Jake, and I'm training to be a pokémon ranger with my friend Wooper." I can see Wooper, calmly resting by a tree. "I was just about to head through Mount Moon when I saw you collapse."

 _Oh. So he was the mystery voice I heard right before I blacked out._ "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you? I healed up your pokémon, but it seemed like you were in worse shape than they were."

I don't know why, but I feel really comfortable talking to him. I tell him everything, from the graveler, to the Rockets, to Dratini leaving with his family. When I finish, he just sits there wide-eyed for a second, then finds his voice.

"Wow. You have had quite a day, haven't you. You should probably get some rest, we can get to Cerulean tomorrow."

I yawn, realizing that it's the middle of the night. No wonder why the pokémon were sleeping. Too tired to pull out my sleeping bag, I simply fall asleep on the soft grass.

* * *

I'm woken up by something jumping on me. "Ooph!' Groggily, I open my eyes. Oh, it's just Eevee. I smile and tell her, "Good morning." She just cheekily jumps off and starts running around with Pikachu and Wooper. I smell a delicious aroma, and my mouth waters. _Oh yeah, I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday._ Sitting up and looking to where the smell is coming from, I see Jake cooking pancakes over a campfire. Well, now I feel bad. I tell him,

"You don't need to do that, you already have done enough for me, taking care of me all night." Of course right then my stomach rumbles.

He laughs. "Well, your stomach seems to disagree with you. Don't worry, there's enough for us and the pokémon."

"Okay, okay, if you insist." I take a few and hand them out to Eevee and Pikachu, while Jake gives one to Wooper. Taking one myself, I start eating and find out that they taste as good as they smell.

"These are delicious! Where did you learn how to cook like that?"

He blushes a bit and tells me, "Well, I'm not that good, but I learned as part of my training to become a ranger."

"That's really cool! What else do you have to learn?"

This time, he smiles. "You have to learn how to survive practically anywhere and how to befriend wild pokémon to help. We don't have our own pokémon, we ask the wild ones to help out from time to time."

A thought crossed my mind. "So, how did you get Wooper? Is he just a wild pokémon willing to help?"

"I, uh, actually found Wooper while visiting the safari zone and he's never left my side since. I have a pokéball for him, but I don't use it."

We fall into a comfortable silence while we and the pokémon finish the pancakes. After we finish, I exclaim, "Alright, let's go to Cerulean!" I stand up and immediately fall over because of my sprained ankle. _Crap, how could I have forgot about that?_ Surprisingly, I don't hit the ground; Jake catches me first.

He calmly says, "Yeah, we should probably get to Cerulean to get your ankle healed. Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't fall."

Blushing, my throat tightens up again. I manage to sputter out, "Th… thanks." _Why am I feeling this way? I mean, he's helped me out a lot and handsome and… Oh my goodness what am I thinking?_ Leaning on Jake, I hobble along the rest of the way to Cerulean, with the pokémon running around us.

We finally get to the pokémon center after what seems like forever with my sprained ankle. _Although, I didn't mind it much… What am I doing? Now's not the time to be thinking about boys._

As soon as we walk in, Nurse Joy gasps, saying, "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

Now that I think about it, I must look pretty terrible. I haven't showered in a day or so, leaning on somebody because I have a sprained ankle, and I'm still covered in dust from when the floor caved in on us. I tell her, "I'm fine, Mount Moon was a bit of trouble but I only have a sprained ankle."

Jake turns to me. "Well, it seems like you're in good hands. I think I'll hang out by the beach if you need me. See ya!" WIth that Jake leaves with Wooper behind him.

While the pokémon center's chansey uses heal pulse on my ankle, Nurse Joy quietly asks, "It must really be nice to have such a caring boyfriend like that."

 _What?!_ Blushing, I tell her, "Ja… Jake's not my boyfriend. He… he just helped me out a bit."

She smiles. "Ah, young love. You'll figure it out eventually." Before she could say any more, Chansey stops using heal pulse, saying, "Chan, Chansey!"

"Well it seems like your ankle's okay. You can walk, but don't strain it too much. If you're here for a gym battle, I would go now; she's pretty busy tomorrow."

Calling over Eevee and Pikachu who were waiting patiently, I tell her, "Thanks for the advice, and for healing my sprained ankle. Bye!"

As we leave, she calls out, "Good bye and good luck!"

Looking up at the sky, I see there's still probably an hour or two before noon. _Should be enough time for a gym battle_. I walk to the gym, which isn't very hard to find considering it's the biggest building in the city. Walking in, I see the gym leader relaxing in the pool with a few water pokémon. _Okay, definitely a water-type gym leader. Pikachu should be able to handle it._

I call out to the gym leader, "Uh, hi. Is now a good time for a gym battle, or should I-"

"No, don't worry. Now's fine. Just gimme a sec to dry off." She quickly gets out of the pool and disappears into a back room for a minute, then comes back out wearing a T-shirt and shorts. She asks me, "What's your name?"

"Kat. And yours?"

"Misty. Nice to meet you Kat. As you probably have guessed, I'm a water-type gym leader. What you probably did not guess is that we use the pool is the battlefield." She pulls a lever on the wall, and platforms float up scattered across the pool. _This is actually really good. Pikachu can just shock the whole pool._

Misty tells me, "This will be a regulation gym battle, and each trainer gets to use two pokémon. Only you can substitute. With that said, go Staryu!"

A starfish with a gem on it appeared on one of the platforms, gem blinking with confidence. I grin, saying, "You got this Pikachu!" He jumps on one of the platforms, which wobbles back and forth a bit. Pikachu stumbles but manages to find his balance.

Misty calls out, "Alright, you can have the first move."

"Thanks! Pikachu, thundershock!" Pikachu looks at me, then shoots a Thunderbolt at Staryu. _He must have learned Thunderbolt in Mount Moon to destroy the ice gun._

Misty calls out, "Staryu, Rapid Spin!" Staryu spins around, nimbly dodging the Thunderbolt. _Great, it'll be hard to hit it directly. If I could get Staryu into the water…_ I have an idea. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu hops across the floating platforms, headed straight for Staryu. Right before the attack connects, Misty calls out, "Water Gun!"

The blast of water shoots Pikachu backwards into the water. "Pikachu!" I exclaim. After a few seconds of trying to get out, he does, dripping wet and shivering.

 _Darn, I need to wrap this up quick. Pikachu can't last much longer when he's cold and wet. Well, what do I know. Water conducts electricity, but the platforms aren't wet. Maybe I can change that._

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on your own platform." He looks at me confused. "Just trust me. I have a plan." He jumps up, tail turning a steel-gray. He lands, forcing the platform down and creating a wave that soaks Staryu and the other platforms.

Misty's eyes widen. "Oh no! Starmie, Rapid Spin! Get the water off!" The starfish does so, but there's still enough lingering water for this to work.

I grin, saying, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt again!" At this point Pikachu catches onto my plan, and shoots a Thunderbolt not at Staryu, but the platform. With a much bigger target to hit, Pikachu's Thunderbolt hits dead on, the electricity conducting to the wet Staryu.

When the Thunderbolt dies down, Staryu is clearly unconscious while Pikachu is a bit winded, but still able to battle. Misty sighs while returning Staryu, saying, "You did your best. We need to find a better way to counter electric types." Turning to me, she says, "That was a pretty nice plan to shock Staryu, although you'll have a harder time dealing with this. Go-"

A loud **BANG** behind me throws me into the pool, into watery blackness.

A/N Dun Dun DUUUUN! More cliffhangers for you guys, sorry but that's how it is. See ya next week!


	11. Chapter 11 - Rocket Takeover (Part One)

A/N Hello Again, AgentLucario here! Sorry I didn't upload earlier today, I had a cross country meet which held me up for a while. But enough excuses. Let's get onto the chapter!

Eevee's POV

When the wall behind us goes kaboom, Kat and I are thrown into the pool. I come up and manage to get on a platform, but Kat doesn't come up. _Where is she? She should have come up by now._

Misty sends out a lot of powerful looking pokémon, including a scary sea serpent and a glowing blue fish. After noticing that Kat hasn't come up yet, she says, "Gyarados, Dive! Save Kat!" The big sea serpent, Gyarados, dives down and resurfaces moments later with an unconscious Kat on its back. _Okay, she's safe._

I see a few Razor Leaves coming my way and instinctively jump to another platform. Looking towards where the attack came from, I see a few zubats, ekans, koffings, and a weird floating plant thing in front. _That must be who attacked me._

"Hold still you little pest!" the weird plant in question told me before firing another volley. I continued to dodge when suddenly it stopped, targeting Pikachu instead. _This is my chance._ Using Quick Attack I rammed into the plant, but it just seemed mildly annoyed.

All of the pokémon around me look at me. "Uhhhhh, hi?" I just get growls in response. _Ohhhhhh, I don't think they're friendly._ I use Quick Attack to try to get away from them, but a zubat suddenly flies head on towards me and bites my head off.

Or at least, it was going to if a bolt of lightning didn't fly out of the air and fry the zubat. _Okay, thanks Pikachu._ Looking around I see Misty's pokémon taking out scores of evil mean pokémon at a time, Pikachu frantically dodging Razor Leaves from the plant pokémon, Kat standing shakily, staring at her sparking hands... _Wait WHAT?_

Kat's POV

I stare at my hands, which are still sparking. _Did that really just happen?_ After waking up on Gyarados, I saw Eevee and Pikachu bravely fighting against the Rocket pokémon even though they were clearly outmatched. It took all of their agility and speed to not get hit by the powerful attacks. I saw Eevee running away from a group of pokémon when I saw a zubat dive bomb her. I just instinctively reached out even if it was going to be useless, but imagine my surprise when a FREAKING LIGHTNING BOLT flies out of my hands and fries the zubat. _What in the world is going on?_ My thoughts are interrupted by Misty.

"Kat, get closer to me. I can't help you if you're all the way on the other side of the pool." Looking around, I see she's right. Pikachu's stamina finally gave out and he got hit by a vicious Razor Leaf and Poison Sting, while Eevee got blindsided by a koffing who hit her with a smog. Misty's gyarados, who I'm still on, is currently keeping the Rockets at bay, but even that powerful of a pokémon has its limits.

"Eevee, Pikachu, get back here!" They scamper from platform to platform, finally joining me on Gyarados's back, who retreats to the back of the pool. Towards that side, most of the Rocket pokémon are knocked out, while Misty's powerhouse team wipes them out.

"Starmie, Psychic, Gyarados, Hydro Pump, Lanturn, Thunderbolt!" Rocket pokémon fall quickly, but there are two to replace the one that falls. _Eventually Misty's pokémon are going to get tired. We need to take them out in one shot._

Healing up Eevee and Pikachu with some of the potions from my bag, tell Pikachu, "Iron Tail on the platform!"

Misty grins, saying, "I like the way you think. Gyarados, Hydro Pump! Lanturn, Water Gun!"

Pikachu hit the platform again, sending water from the pool flying and soaking the Rocket pokémon, while Gyarados and Lanturn shot streams of water around the whole area, making the whole place wet.

At the same time, Misty and I call out, "Pikachu/Lanturn, Thunderbolt!"

With both of their power and the soaked gym, the combined lightning strike is devastating. The rest of the Rocket pokémon and their trainers are electrocuted and fall unconscious. I hug both Eevee and Pikachu, just happy that we made it through the Rocket attack. I overhear Misty muttering to herself.

"Stupid Lance and Cynthia. _Great_ job protecting the city." _Wait, Cynthia…. Where have I heard that before… Oh right! The woman I met in the library! What does she have to do with this?_

Taking a last look around her ruined and soaked gym, she gets up and returns her pokémon save Starmie. "Come on, we have to help the rest of the city. The gym was targeted, but there are Rockets crawling all over the city."

* * *

Even though Eevee and Pikachu are both exhausted, they still are able to walk with me as we follow Misty through the city. _Wow, Misty was right._ While most of the houses are intact, evidence of huge battles are present on the streets as the roads are cracked, soaking, and in some cases covered in ice. I hear an explosion about 3 blocks away.

"Come on!" Misty tells me as she takes off towards the explosion. Following her, I find somebody with a wooper trying to fend off an ekans, a zubat, and a koffing. Behind that person were two kids, probably around seven or eight. Both of the kids' fright is visible on their faces as they hide behind the trainer. _I have to act now_.

Luckily, Misty has the same idea. "Starmie, Psychic!" "Eevee, Quick Attack!" The powerful Psychic takes out the koffing while Eevee rams into the ekans, knocking it out as well. The Wooper jumps at the advantage, hitting the zubat with a well-timed Water-Gun. Starmie holds the grunts in place while Misty radios somebody, probably the police or something. The wooper, although tired, looks happy that her trainer is safe. It kinda looks like Jake's…

 _Crap! Jake! Is he okay? Wooper isn't enough to hold off the Rockets for long. I think he said he was going to be at the beach or something…"_ Leaving Misty behind I take Eevee and Pikachu and take off towards the beach where I can hear more fighting. Picking up the pace, I find the beach is a mess with a few trainers banded together against the Rockets.

"Bayleaf, Vine Whip!" "Sandshrew, Slash!' "Furret, Take Down!" _Darn, no Jake._ It seemed like they could take care of themselves, so I took off undetected down the beach.

Farther down, I see Jake and Wooper struggling against that weird plant thing from earlier. _Shoot, we never made sure the Rockets at the gym were tied up or anything._

"Carnivine, Razor Leaf!" The sharp leaves knocks Wooper down and he doesn't get back up. "Ha, you're pokémon's pathetic. It couldn't even take a Razor Leaf! What a joke." _Well of course you jerk. Wooper's a water and ground-type, so it's really weak to grass. Although, while he's gloating is a great time to attack._

Running down, I shout, "Eevee, Tackle! Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Caught off guard, Carnivine was launched towards the trainer, slightly stunned but still conscious.

The Rocket only smirked. "Hey, I remember you! You were at the gym with the gym leader, right? Now you got nobody to help you now. Your pokémon are as good as dead." _We'll see about that._ "Carnivine, Razor Leaf!"

"Eevee, Dig, Pikachu, Quick Attack!" The sharp leaves passed harmlessly by as Eevee dug into the ground and Pikachu sped away. Eevee pops out of the ground underneath Carnivine, but somehow fails to hit him. Pikachu does, but does very little damage. The grunt just smirks. "Pathetic. Carnivine, let's finish this. Power Whip."

The powerful move knocked both Eevee and Pikachu into me, battered and unconscious. The grunt with the carnivine spoke up. "Now that all of your pokémon can't fight, I highly recommend that you give them to me. I mean, give me your pokémon before Carnivine tears you apart.

"Garchomp, Flamethrower!"

A blast of flame sears the Carnivine who falls down, unconscious. _What was that?_ The large and nimble dragon lands, and the woman I met at the library getting off. She tosses another pokéball. "Spiritomb, Hypnosis." A ball of darkness with an eerie face appears, smiling as the grunt promptly fell asleep.

She turns to us. "Are you two okay? It's not safe to be down here. Get back up to the main part of the city."

Cynthia's phone buzzes. Answering it, says, "Hey Lance, what's going on? The beach is clear, I'm currently getting the last people out."

"..."

"What? How did Team Rocket find Mewtwo so quickly? Alright, I'll be there ASAP"

Before she can tell us anything, I ask, "Hey, what is a Mewtwo?" Something about it just kinda struck me funny.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you. Now both of you, get back up to the city where it's safe." With that she hops on Garchomp and flies off towards some island in the distance.

 _Ugh, what's bugging me? Something's not right._ Turning to Jake, I ask him, "Hey, where is she flying off to? Do you know?"

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "You're not thinking of following her, are you? You heard her, she said to go back to the city. Besides, our pokémon would get destroyed by the Rockets anyways."

I look at him with determination. "I have to know."

He sighs. "Fine. She's headed off to Cerulean Cape, some cave system off in the distance.

 _Caves, Mewtwo, why does this seem so weird to me?_ I suddenly remember Arceus's poem. _Beware the space plane, that's clearly Rocket. In the home of the bat, maybe like zubat? Don't zubat live in caves? Is that where Arceus is telling me to go? Embrace the hermit… nope, nothing there. Save the second cat. Wait,_ _ **second**_ _cat. Isn't Mewtwo the reason Cynthia left? I mean, it has two in the name. I think I have to save this mysterious Mewtwo._

"Uh, hello? Earth to Kat?" Jake's voice brings me out of my thoughts. Turning to him, I say, "Sorry, just thinking for a bit. And yes, I'm going to follow her. I'm pretty sure I have to, to save the world."

He goes wide-eyed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Isn't that an overreaction? Besides, your pokémon are in pretty bad shape and you have no idea what's down there, or what even Mewtwo is."

 _I'm not letting this go._ You're right. My pokémon are hurt and I don't know what's on that island. What I do know is that there is some freaky god pokémon literally talking to me in my dreams telling me to save whoever this Mewtwo is. So I think I should do it."

Jake just sighs. "I'm not going to talk you out of this one, right?"

 _Not a chance._ "Nope! Although, I will need your help to get there."

Far off in the distance, a storm is growing around Cerulean Cape, with lightning strikes visible from the beach. _Well, that's not good. I need to get there, and fast._

A/N So, a two-parter! I know I'm kind of evil with all of these cliffhangers, but this mini arc seems too much to cram into one chapter. In terms of the gym leaders, I see them as protectors and leaders of the town, so expect them to have powerful pokémon with type coverage diverse movesets, the works. Until next week, AgentLucario out!


	12. Chapter 12 - Rocket Takeover (Part Two)

A/N I'm back! Honestly, I'm surprised I managed to get this one out on time, there is so much going on. This chapters a bit longer than usual, so hooray!

Kat's POV

The storm over Cerulean Cape is growing. _I need to get there fast. But first, I need to heal my pokémon._ Turning to Jake, I ask,

"Hey, in the woods you had all of this survival equipment. Do you have anything that could heal our pokémon?"

He thinks for a minute, then smiles. "I think I might. Gimme a sec." He rummages through his bag, brightens up, and pulls out a few berries. "This should be enough."

After we carefully feed them to our pokémon, they immediately perk up after the battle with the carnivine. _Okay, step two: get to Cerulean Cape._

"You said you were training to be a pokémon ranger, right? And one of the things you have to learn is how to befriend wild pokémon. Could you see if any pokémon would be willing to take me across?"

Taken aback, he stammers out, "I… I… I mean, I haven't, you know, actually _done_ it before…"

 _I'm not giving up._ "Come on! I know you can do it. I believe in you!"

He laughs a bit. "Really? That sounds incredibly cliché. Alright, alright, I'll try. But I won't promise anything."

He asks Wooper, "Hey, could you see if any pokémon are willing to take a passenger to Cerulean Cape?"

Wooper gives a brief "Woop. Wooper!" and jumped into the ocean. A few minutes later, a small aquatic dinosaur appears, gesturing for us to get on. The only problem is that the dinosaur's too small for both of us to go. Jake asks Wooper, "There was nobody else willing?" Wooper just shakes his head sadly.

"Lapras, Ras!" The dinosaur, the lapras, says. _I have to get there, with or without Jake._ I tell Jake, "Thanks for all that you've done for me. I'll see ya around!" and hop on the small Lapras with Eevee and Pikachu.

As the three of us leave, he calls out, "Just be careful, okay?" I give him a thumbs up as we make the journey to Cerulean Cape.

* * *

As we near the cape, we can see the storm getting worse. The waves got rougher and it got windier, but neither I nor my pokémon are afraid. Surprisingly, the little lapras isn't either, and he just keeps on trucking through the storm. Eventually when we get there, he drops us off with a "Ras, Lapras!" and swims off.

 _Now's the hard part._ The storm is much worse on the actual cape; I could barely see two feet in front of me, and the winds almost knock me over. Holding Eevee and Pikachu close, I stumble to what looks like an entrance.

Luckily, the storm did not reach inside the cave. Once we were dry, we started travelling through the caves, similar to Mount Moon.

 _screech_

 _What was that?_ I nervously tell Pikachu, "Uh, hey Pikachu, could you g… give us some light?" Electricity starts sparking out of his fur, lighting the whole place up.

 _Screeeech_

 _Whatever it is, it's getting louder._ All of a sudden a swarm of zubat fly towards us. Panicking, I hold Pikachu and Eevee close to me and duck as they fly over me. Luckily, they're not attacking. If anything, they're running away from something. _What could they be afraid of? At least I know I'm in the right place._

After a little while, I hear fighting. Gesturing to Eevee and Pikachu, I whisper, "Come on!" and follow the sound. I find a clearing in the cave where Rockets are fighting wild pokémon, although the wild pokémon look really, unnaturally strong. The only reason it was a fight was because the Rockets had more numbers.

I didn't hesitate as I called out, "Eevee, Tackle. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Although Pikachu hesitated slightly, the attacks manage to knock a few zubat and ekans out, but there are still lots of Rocket pokémon to deal with. The other wild pokémon, a charizard, a kingler, and a muk look at me oddly, but resume fighting.

Pikachu's POV

When Kat decides to rush headfirst into a fight with really strong pokémon, I am overcome with a huge wave of fear. _I don't want to repeat what happened in Viridian Forest._ But then, I remember what happened at Pewter City and Mount Moon. _Kat and Eevee have been supportive of me every step of the way thus far, and I'm not going to let them down now._

As I jump in and fire off a thunderbolt, I actually feel good and not afraid. There are attacks whizzing by, but I'm able to dodge the ones headed for me and fire Thunderbolts back. Every now and then a Rocket pokémon comes close enough to me to hit it with an Iron Tail. Eevee and I may not be contributing a whole lot, but it still feels really good to be able to fight back against the people who once tormented me.

Even though the wild pokémon are really strong, we're still losing. They aren't invincible, and I take a few Poison Stings as well. For every Rocket pokémon we take out two more take its place.

Suddenly an Arbok lunges at me and slams his purple glowing tail into me, am filled with pain. I get thrown back into a wall. I try to stand up, but collapse instead, darkness enveloping me.

Kat's POV

When I see Pikachu get knocked out, I pull out his pokéball. _Sorry, but it's the only way to keep you safe._ However, before I can return him I see the same Arbok lunge, tail glowing with a Poison Jab. I feel a surge of power again, same as in the gym and with… with the beedrill. _Is that why they left?_ While I'm thinking the Arbok almost reaches Pikachu. _What am I doing! I can't think about this now._ Out of reflex I point my hand towards the Arbok, shouting "Stay away from him!"

Just like before, a lightning bolt flies out of my hands, only stunning the Arbok, but it was enough as it's caught in the charizard's next flamethrower.

Returning Pikachu, I glance around. It isn't good. The charizard is still going strong, but the kingler and muk almost look dead on their feet. Meanwhile, Eevee's Digging and Quick Attacking like crazy just to avoid attacks. One grunt looks straight at me, saying, "Golbat, Poison Fang!"

The golbat rushes at me, fangs glowing purple. I try pointing my hand out at it, but no lightning bolt is forthcoming this time. I duck and the golbat flies over me, but comes back again. I manage to sidestep and dodge around the golbat, but it keeps coming back. Eventually I trip on a rock, and the golbat charges once more. _I won't be able to dodge this._

"Dragonite, Extremespeed!" An orange blur slams into the golbat, knocking it out. A hand is offered to help me up, so I take it and stand up. My savior has red spiky hair and is wearing a cape for some reason. He asks me, "Are you okay?"

I shakily respond, "Y… Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks. Who are you?"

"I'm Lance, champion of the Kanto/Johto region. Now who are-

" _AAAAAAAARGGGGH"_

A terrifying cry, filled with pain, enters my head. I look towards where it came from, one of the many tunnels.

I quickly ask Lance, "What was that?"

He looks at me confused. "What was what?"

 _Wait, so he didn't hear that?_

" _AAAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHH"_

The screams continue to enter my head. I cover my ears, but it doesn't help. I need to get there and fast. Somebody's in trouble. I call out to Eevee, "Come on, let's go!" As I run off, Lance calls out to me, "Wait! Where are you going? You can't go-"

The rest of whatever he was saying was lost as I ran through the tunnels. The screams continue to assault my mind but at least I'm able to tell where they're coming from.

I get to a large clearing where I can see some guy calmly standing while his pokémon viciously attack a humanoid purple and white pokémon with a long tail. The mysterious pokémon has cuts and bruises all over its body, ready to collapse. Without thinking I rush in, standing in front of the badly injured pokémon. "Stop! Who are you and why are you doing this?"

The man simply laughed, a short bark, saying "I, little lady, am the leader of Team Rocket, and you are currently standing in front of Mewtwo, a failed experiment, a monster.

 _So this is Mewtwo, the pokémon Arceus told me to save. But what can I do against the leader of Team Rocket?_ I take a step back and accidentally bump into Mewtwo.

All of a sudden my vision goes red and all I feel is pain and anger. For a second I feel _connected_ to this mysterious pokémon, feel every cut and bruise he has, and all of the anger he harbors for this one man, Giovanni. _Wait, how do I know his name? He never told me. Is this Mewtwo's memories?_

Just as it started, it ended. A voice enters my head. " _G….go. You aren't a p...part of this. Just leave."_ _That must be Mewtwo. I can't let Team Rocket hurt him any more, no matter what._

Giovanni smirks at me, saying, "End it."

All six of his pokémon, a nidoking, a nidoqueen, a sleek looking cat, a large ominous ghost with a single eye, a small, humanoid pokémon with gems for eyes, and a green bug with scythes for hands, start charging attacks headed for me and Mewtwo.

 _I won't let you hurt him._

Time seems to slow down around me, and I can see all of the attacks come towards me in slow motion. I grab Mewtwo and run clear of the blasts, still barely dodging them. The explosion causes dust to fill the room, and I'm unable to see anything. Luckily, the Rocket's can't either.

When the dust clears, Mewtwo is standing near me looking much healthier than before. _How in the world-_

" _Recover. Now focus."_

The persian comes after me, deliberately walking towards me hunting its prey. As it lunges, Eevee blindsides it, sending it into the wall. I tell her, "Nice work, girl!"

Unfortunately, the persian could still fight. It came back, this time targeting Eevee. _I hope this works._ I hold my arm out, and once again a bolt of lightning flies out and shocks the persian. After the electricity stops, the persian is slightly hurt, but more mad than anything.

No longer toying with its prey but instead going for the kill, the persian lunges at me, claws outstretched. Time slowing down again, I almost sidestep the cat, which manages to scratch me leaving red marks on my shoulder but ends up flying into the wall, not getting up.

Looking over to Mewtwo, I see he's not doing very well. Similar to when I found him, he's cut up and bruised, but still maintaining some form of shield. I launch a thunderbolt towards them but they barely notice. Eevee uses Dig on some of them only to be kicked aside. They just systematically hammer on Mewtwo's shield, which is starting to crack.

Just before their attacks break through, I run over and tackle Mewtwo, getting him out of the way. We dodge the initial attack, but suddenly the ground disappears under us and comes back _hard_ , causing us to fall. I try to stand up but a searing pain, worse than on Mount Moon, flares from my previously injured ankle, sending me crashing down again. What's even worse is that Mewtwo is conscious, but too hurt to get up or fight, while Eevee is shaking, almost at her limit. _I'm on my own now._

Giovanni looks down at me and smiles. "Looks like I win." Turning to his pokémon, he tells them, "Destroy them." After a second or two of charging, they release their attacks, impending doom heading straight towards me.

 _But that's the thing, right? I'm never alone. I have my friends, my pokémon, and my family with me in my heart, even if they're not actually here._ All of a sudden a _massive_ surge of power fills me, much more than with the lightning bolts. As their attacks come in, a mixture of black, green, and purple, I release the energy that filled me, overpowering all of their attacks and knocking them out except for the ones with gems for eyes. Even still, it was barely standing when Eevee surprised it with a Dig, sending it to dreamland with it's comrades.

Giovanni's once confident smirk turned to shock. "Who… what are you?" He then blinks, the confident smirk returning. "No matter. I have what I need." With that, he returns all of his pokémon, then pulls out a small box. _What is that going to do?_ "Until next time." Pressing a button, he simply vanishes. _Wait, what? How did he just disappear?_

" _It's a teleporter. He always has one handy, just in case."_

 _Gaah!_ I turn to the purple cat who looked surprisingly better. I try to stand up, but I almost fall again with my injured ankle. Luckily, Mewtwo catches me in some weird blue energy, and I manage to lean on the wall. "How, what, why?"

" _I'm a very powerful psychic type, so I'm currently speaking through telepathy, and I accidentally picked up on some surface thoughts. Anyways, I want to thank you for saving me. Giovanni's pokémon were constantly using Taunt so I couldn't use Recover, although once you protected me I was able to. I am curious, how did you defeat all of Giovanni's pokémon when even I could not?"_

"I… uh…" Thinking about it, I draw a blank. The only thing I could think of was the gift that Arceus said that I have, which I'm pretty sure is connected to the lightning bolts and time slowing down. But what I just did was on a whole new level. "I actually don't really know."

Mewtwo looks at me curiously. " _Interesting. Perhaps it will manifest itself to you at some-"_

All of a sudden I feel really dizzy. My shoulder burns from the fight with the persian, my ankle is throbbing painfully, and I'm just overall drained from running around and throwing lightning bolts. The last thing I see is Eevee running up to me as the world goes black.

A/N Looking back, I realize that the first 6 chapters are in past tense, and the more recent ones are in present. Whoops, I'll probably (maybe) go and fix that, but with school and life I don't know if I will soon. I'm also sorry if every chapter ends with somebody blacking out, that's just the way it plays out in my head. It won't happen every chapter.


	13. Chapter 13 - Prophecy

A/N Hello again! Honestly I kind of regret making my update schedule on Tuesdays because it's when I have dual meets for cross country, and I get home really late. But enough about me. Onwards with the chapter!

Kat's POV

I am floating around in dreamland, although this time it's different. Arceus isn't here, and the world is dark and creepy. Thunder and lightning randomly flash as if I'm in a storm cloud. There is an explosion below me, and I slowly move towards it.

Eventually I break out of what actually is a storm cloud, and the sight beneath me isn't pretty. I seem to be over a city, or at least what's left of it. The whole place is in flames, the buildings crumbling, and people and pokémon running about in terror.

A loud roar brings my attention to the center of the city. To my surprise, I see Arceus at the center of the destruction, spraying fire and destruction. There seem to be three pokémon fighting Arceus, glowing with different colors of energy. One pokémon was glowing blue, another pink, and a third shining as bright as a star almost making my eyes hurt.

Moving closer I see the bodies of other pokémon either unconscious or worse. I recognize some generally powerful pokémon like gyarados and tyranitar, but I also see pokémon that I don't recognize like a large serpent-like dragon, a deer with large crystalline antlers, and a great big white dragon with a big turbine for a tail.

Looking at the pokémon fighting Arceus, I recognize Mewtwo, glowing blue, and that cat from my first dream, glowing pink. The last pokémon remains a mystery to me as it's shining too bright for me to get a good look at, although it looks humanoid.

Luckily it seems that neither Arceus nor the pokémon fighting notice me, and there doesn't seem a way for me to leave or help. Although Mewtwo and that cat are putting up a good fight, they are slowly losing ground against Arceus, who is bombarding their shields with energy blast after energy blast.

Suddenly Arceus turns to me, and looks straight at me. But this isn't like other times where it feels like he's staring into my soul. Instead, all I see in his eyes are black emptiness and rage, devoid of life. He opens his mouth and a giant fireball comes straight towards me.

I wake up with a gasp, sweating. _It was all a dream. That never really happened._ I found myself still on the cold stone floor of Cerulean Cape, with Eevee and Pikachu sleeping a few feet away.

Mewtwo hovers in, psychically holding a things like food and water. " _You're awake. Good. Those two have been worried about you. I had to force them to get some sleep._

 _Wait. Pikachu was in bad shape when I recalled him, and Eevee was exhausted after the battles with Rocket. Shouldn't they get to a pokémon center?_

" _I have healed both of them as well as yourself. However, your extreme aura depletion has prevented me from relocating you elsewhere."_

 _Sheesh. I really need to remember he can read my mind._ After getting over my initial shock that Mewtwo could be in my head, I have a question. "So, how long have I been here?"

His stoic expression remains unchanged, responding, " _It's been about three days since you passed out."_

…

 _Three days! You've got to be kidding me._ "Mewtwo, I need to get back to civilization. I have friends and family who are probably worried sick about me."

 _Very well. Now that your aura has recovered slightly, I can teleport you. Brace yourself._

The world spun around me briefly as I suddenly appeared somewhere with my pokémon and landed on something soft.

Disoriented, I roll off of whatever that was and try to make the world stop spinning. I stand up, still a bit dizzy, and get a good look at what I landed on. Apparently, it was a person, and he was slowly getting up. _Really Mewtwo?_ I walk over to him, extending a hand. "I, uh, sorry about that. My name's Kat, who are you?"

He takes my hand but freezes when I mention my name. I ask him, "Hey, is everything okay?" Getting up, he softly mutters, "No way." He looks up, and I can see his face clearly now. I'm greeted by shining blue eyes.

"Kat!" Jake exclaims as he grabs me in a bear hug. "I thought you were dead."

I smile, telling him "Nope, not dead. Although, we should probably head back to the city. Where are we, actually?"

"I think we're just a little ways away from Cerulean. I stuck around to help rebuild and look for you, but I had to continue my own journey."

 _Aww, that's so sweet._ As we start heading back to the city, I ask him, "So, uh, what happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing, really. Just people trying to rebuild the city. But I have to ask, what happened to you? You traveled to Cerulean Cape and just vanished for days. There were search parties and everything. Nobody could find you."

"Yeeeaeah, about that." I proceed to tell him about my fight with Giovanni and Mewtwo, although I leave out the bit where I somehow can use pokémon moves. I still don't know everything, and I feel a little uncomfortable sharing that with anyone, even Jake.

When I finish, he's silent for a few minutes, then says, "We're here." We are almost at the city border. _Huh, convenient timing._ Running ahead, I tell Jake, "Come on! There's still a gym badge I need to get!"

He quickly grabs my arm, saying, "Hey, wait a second. You just appeared after being missing for _three days_. Aren't your parents worried about you or something?"

 _Parents. Crap. I totally forgot to check in since leaving home._ "Yeeeah, I should probably do that."

When I get to the pokémon center, I hop on a video home and dial my house. After the second ring my parents pick up.

I'm greeted by the same faces I've known for years, but there's something different about them. Instead of the normal energy I see from them, they look worn out and sad.

My mom starts talking in a tired voice, "Hello? Dixon reside-" They immediately perk up. "Kat! You're alive! I heard that you were dead! What happened? Are you okay?'

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine." I tell her what happened on my journey so far, from finding Pikachu in the Viridian Forest to the battle with Giovanni and Mewtwo. At the end of it my mom looks scared but my father has tears in his eyes.

My mom speaks first, "Kat, you've already been in so much danger. It's a miracle you weren't hurt more or worse. Please come home."

 _Wait what? I can't just quit now. Eevee, Pikachu, and I have been through so much together. I can't just give up._

I calmly tell her, "Mom, I know it's dangerous, but my pokémon and I are ready for it. We can do this. Trust me."

"Are you sure, honey? With Team Rocket out there the world just isn't as safe as it was years ago."

My father cuts in, "I say let her go. Take a look at her. While we've been worrying about how she's doing, she has already grown stronger and more confident than when she left. Our girl is tough, and now she has two pokémon. If she thinks she can handle it, she can."

After a few minutes of silence, my mother concedes. "Okay, fine. But please be careful and check in more often, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay. Love you!" I hang up the phone and exhale a sigh of relief. _Whew! I'm glad that they're letting me continue my journey. I just hope I can remember to check in every now and then._

Jake interrupts my thoughts. "Everything okay? You were in there for a while. The gym's about to close."

 _Huh. I guess my journey has been a lot more eventful than I thought, even though it's only been less than two weeks._ I respond, "Race ya!" WIth that, I zoom ahead.

The gym is currently still undergoing repairs from Rocket's attack, so the gym battles were being held on the beach. There were still a few trainers waiting, but not many.

Once all of the other trainers have finished, Misty sighs and sees me. Her face immediately brightens up, and she says, "Oh my gosh! You're alive! I heard you disappeared on Mount Moon. Here, take this." She suddenly just tosses a small metal object at me.

Out of reflex, I catch it and see it's a badge made of a single teardrop. I look at her in confusion. "But… I didn't earn this."

Recalling her tired pokémon, she tells me, "Yes, you did. Your battle with Pikachu was amazing, and on top of that you helped repel the Rockets. Trust me, you earned this badge."

"Okay, I guess. Thanks!" _Well, that's two badges down, six to go._

"See ya! Also, say hi to your boyfriend for me, okay?"

 _What? Again?_ Blushing furiously, I stammer out "W-Who? Jake? H-He's not my boyfriend. Just a friend."

Misty laughs. "Sure. Have fun!"

Jake catches up behind me, asking, "What did I miss?"

Smiling, I proudly hold up my new badge. "Technically I didn't battle for it, but I apparently earned it anyway."

He casually responds, "Well, a badge is a badge, right?"

I smile even more. "Yep! Only six more to go. My next badge is in Saffron City. Are you headed there?"

He thinks for a bit, then replies, "Yeah, I have to go through Saffron to get to Vermillion. It'll be nice to have the company."

As the sun starts to set, the view of the beach is beautiful. The sky is lit up with a soft orange light that is inexplicably magical. I ask Jake, "Hey, do you mind if we watch the sunset? It's really pretty."

He smiles, saying, "Yeah, I don't mind. It is beautiful though. Nature always is."

"Woop, Woopa!" Wooper seems to be enjoying himself in the waves. I ask Jake, "He's fine in the ocean, right?"

Jake laughs. "Kat, he's a water type pokémon. He'll be fine."

I notice that Pikachu and Eevee aren't by my side anymore. I look around and see them nearby, just relaxing. It's nice to just have a moment to relax.

Pikachu's POV

While Kat and her boyfriend were looking at the sunset together, I notice a familiar spearow flying nearby.

"Hey!" I call out to him, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

He flies down, slightly nervous. "Um, you know, just enjoying the sights."

 _Suuure. But I don't want to press it._ "So… how are you doing?"

He looks indignantly at me. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"Uh, no-"

"HI!" Eevee jumps in. "Hey, it's you again, isn't it! What are you doing all the way out here? Don't you live in Viridian Forest?"

 _Why, Eevee, why? I swear, she can be so insensitive sometimes. Or naive. Pretty sure naive._

Spearow looks at the ground with tears in his eyes. "I… I guess I should tell you. I've been following you guys ever since you left Pewter."

Eevee, naive as ever, asks, "Why did you follow us? Don't you live in Viridian Forest?"

 _Eevee, shut up! You're not helping._ I shoot daggers at Eevee, although she remains as oblivious as ever. She continues on,

"Don't you have a family? Where are they? Aren't they worried about you?"

 _Eevee, you idiot! Clearly Spearow isn't alright, and you're just making it worse._ I tell Spearow, "If you want to talk to me, you can, but you don't have to."

He takes a few deep breaths, then stammers out, "N-No it's okay. It starts with my family. Most spearow and fearow think that all humans are bad, that they all enslave pokémon. My father was different. He actually battled for a trainer, a good one. So good that he let my dad go after my dad found love in Viridian Forest. My father told me grand tales of his battling, and how he and his teammates never were successful in a league, but they had great adventures. He also instilled in me and my brothers and sisters to be strong, courageous, helpful, but above all else to hold onto your family. There's nothing greater th-than"

He starts softly sobbing again. I put a reassuring paw on his wing, saying, "It's okay, you don't have to keep going if you don't want to."

After a little bit he stopped crying, and continued, "Everything was going fine until the day after I met you guys. Lots of people wearing "R"s on their shirts came into the forest and started catching everything in sight, at times using three or four pokémon just to catch one. Many of the other pokémon were caught quickly, but my family stuck it out. Together we avoided capture and protected each other."

He took a deep breath. "Eventually we got tired, but my father never gave up. He took out pokémon left and right, but eventually got tired. We all were. When a pokéball came flying at me I couldn't dodge or fly away, and my father pushed me out of the way, where I fell into a bush.. He got caught and I didn't. I… I watched my family get caught. My parents, and all of my brothers and sisters. I'm the last one left." He doesn't bother to try to hold the tears in.

I suddenly hug Spearow, telling him "You're not alone in this. You can always talk to us if you want. We're headed to Saffron City next."

Kat's POV

Well, the sun finally sets, the last of the orange light disappearing beneath the waves. I look around and find Pikachu and Eevee talking to a spearow, who seems to be crying. Pikachu suddenly hugs the spearow, surprising me. _It seems like Pikachu and the spearow already know each other._ I slowly walk over, not wanting to interrupt their moment.

I can't understand what Pikachu is saying, but I assume he's trying to comfort the distraught spearow. I softly say, "Hey, little guy, are you okay?" The spearow tenses, but doesn't fly away. It's clear now that it's been crying and upset. "If you want, you can come with us. It seems that you know Pikachu and Eevee pretty well already, so if you want to come, you can."

The spearow is still for a bit, then shakes his head. He says, "Spear, Spearow, Row" to Pikachu and Eevee, then flies off.

Jake comes up behind me. "What was that all about?"

I sigh, saying, "I wish I knew." As we head back to the pokémon center, I start to wonder about that Spearow. _Don't spearow usually live in the Viridian Forest? Why would one fly all the way out here? And how do my pokémon know it?_

A/N The plot thickens! If you have a question or comment, review below! And always, thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14 - Saffron City

A/N Another chapter, yay! I don't have much to say, although happy Rosh Hashanah for all the Jewish readers out there! I myself and a Christian, but thanks for the free school days off. Anyways, onwards!

Kat's POV

The journey to Saffron City is mostly uneventful, just a bit of training with Eevee and Pikachu to prepare for the gym. Other than it's a psychic-type gym, I have no idea what to expect. _I just hope that she can't read my mind like Mewtwo could. That would be an annoying gym battle._

Although far away, I couldn't help but notice a spearow watching us as we travelled to Saffron. I'm pretty sure it's the same spearow from Cerulean. _Why is the spearow following us? What happened to it before?_

I've heard that Saffron is the largest city in Kanto, but nothing could prepare me for the sprawling metropolis that is in front of me. It makes Viridian City look like a small town, with its huge skyscrapers and crowded streets.

After getting over how large the city is, I start to run off, saying, "Alright, I'm off to the gym!"

He laughs. "Is that seriously the first thing on your mind? Come on, let's go find a pokémon center first. I think our pokémon could use a bit of rest. Besides, do you even know where the gym is? It might help to get a map there."

 _Whoops, should probably find where the gym is first._ I look over at Eevee and PIkachu and see that they are nearly as excited as I am. I tell him, "Okay, I see your point. Let's go!"

After a quick checkup at the pokémon center, I take a map and find the gym towards the edge of the city while Jake goes to the mart to stock up on supplies.

As we head through the city, I hear a voice cry out, "Help! Somebody help me!"

"Come on!" I tell my pokémon, and run into an alley towards the scream.

After passing through the alley we find a girl about my age cornered by two thugs. They had pokémon out, a mean-looking primeape and a thin gray pokémon with a feathery head. One of them speaks for both of them, saying,

"Alright missy, hand over your wallet. Unless you want to find out the hard way why people don't fight pokémon.

She's practically in tears. "I… I don't have anything. I swear."

The thugs smile sadistically. "Alright then. Primeape, Karate Chop!"

Instinctively I call out, "Eevee, Quick Attack! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

The attacks hit their mark, surprising the would-be muggers. I run between the thugs and the girl, Eevee and Pikachu ready for battle.

They call out, "Weavile, Fury Swipes on the pikachu! " "Primeape, Karate Chop the eevee"

As they get closer to Eevee and Pikachu, I call out, "Eevee, Pikachu, Quick Attack to dodge!"

Both of my pokémon turn into white blurs running away from their attackers, but the gang members smirk.

"Weavile/Primeape, swap!"

The attacking pokémon suddenly change directions and manage to land a hit on both of them. Luckily, both get up, still able to battle.

They start laughing. "You think that pathetic attacks like that will do anything?" one of them says. "Your pokémon are so weak they can't even scratch ours."

Gritting my teeth, I shout out, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt Weavile! Eevee, Dig on Primeape!"

"Weavile, Ice Shard!" "Primeape, listen then use Karate Chop!"

Weavile's attack hit Pikachu before he could get off his attack, sending him back towards me, knocked out. Then, as Eevee bursts out of the ground to attack, the Primeape merely sidesteps the attack, then delivers a nasty chop that knocks Eevee out as well.

They continue to laugh, saying, "I told you your pokémon are weak. Now Primeape, Karate Chop these losers."

Returning both of my pokémon, I feel the electrical surge of power in my hands, ready to shock the crap out of the stupid Primeape when he gets close.

But just as the Primeape starts moving towards us a white blur flies out of a nearby alley and knocks the primeape off course. _What was that?_

When the blur stops, I see a scruffy looking quadruped, with white fur, dark skin, and a wicked-looking scythe on its head. From the numerous scars and injuries marring its fur and skin, I can tell it's definitely been in a lot of tough battles.

Once the gang members get over their shock, they call out attacks. "Primeape, Karate Chop!" "Weavile, Ice Shard!"

The mysterious pokémon suddenly jumps to the right, away from both of the attacks. It uses its blade to attack Primeape with a Slash, then jumps away before the primeape retaliates with a Brick Break, dodging the attack completely. _How did it do that?_

After a few minutes, the other two pokémon looked really beat up while the battle-scarred one doesn't have a scratch on him. Somehow he's able to detect every move that his opponents are about to make.

Suddenly one of the gang members smiled sadistically. "Weavile, Ice Shard the girl!"

Before I could do anything the Weavile launches the ice projectile at me, but the mysterious pokémon pushes me out of the way, taking the attack instead.

The attack barely does any damage to him, but it stuns him a bit which both the primeape and the weavile capitalize on. They start punishing him with Karate Chops and Ice Shards, but soon after he retaliates with a blade of dark energy that knocks them both back. They start charging at him again but he vanishes, blurring into visibility as he rams into both pokémon, knocking them out.

Returning their pokémon, the thugs scowl. "Grr. We'll be back." They then take off.

The mysterious pokémon drops to the ground, exhausted after beating two pokémon. Then, all of a sudden, the girl starts kicking the pokémon, who yelps in pain but is unable to move.

I turn to her, yelling, "What are you doing? That pokémon just saved us!"

She scowls, telling me, "Do you know what this pokémon is? It's an absol, also known as the disaster pokémon. It's probably the reason I'm in this mess.

 _Seriously? This pokémon just saved us and she's attacking it? What is wrong with her?_ I stand in front of the absol, telling her, "I won't let you keep doing this."

She sneers at me. "Fine. You can deal with the walking disaster. I'm outta here." With that, she runs off.

 _Jerk._ I bend down to the absol, who is pretty beat up. "Are you okay? That battle seemed pretty tough." He gets up shakily, and manages to stand on his feet.

All of a sudden he tackles me out of the way of a massive orange beam of energy.

The two gang members are back with a friend, and this time they have a much more powerful-looking rock pokémon.

"You should have left with that other girl while you had the chance. Tyranitar, Hyper Beam again!"

Absol nimbly dodges out of the way, then gets close to slash at it with dark energy again. The attack barely seems to do anything, and Absol hastily gets away before the tyranitar can fire another Hyper Beam at it.

This pattern continues a few times, but eventually the tyranitar switches to launching sharp rocks at Absol, who is hit hard. He slides across the street, bruised and bloody.

As the Tyranitar charged another Hyper Beam aimed at me, I don't feel anything. I can't get myself to move out of the way.

As the orange beam of death comes near me, suddenly Absol is blurs into existence, fighting against the attack with dark energy from his blade. Eventually the Hyper Beam wins out, and a heavily injured and unconscious Absol falls to the ground. _I don't know if it's even still alive._

I go and touch Absol's chest to try to find a heartbeat, but as soon as my hand makes contact with his fur I feel a burning pain throughout my body, and a feeling of loneliness. The pain passes, but the loneliness remains. _What was that?_ Luckily, I could find a heartbeat, although a weak one. _I need to get out of here._

As if on cue, the new thug calls out, "Tyranitar, Hyper Beam!"

A new feeling of power fills me, one devoid of emotion. It's like I can't even control my own body as my arm instinctively moves downwards in a slashing motion, sending a blade of darkness towards the Hyper Beam.

The resulting explosion creates a large dust cloud. _Now's my chance._ _Darn, Absol's too heavy and injured for me to carry him._ I pull out a pokéball out of my bag. _I'm sorry, but this is the only way to escape._ I gently press the ball against Absol, who is sucked in and promptly captured.

The dust cloud had settled and the tyranitar is charging another Hyper Beam. As he fires, I can see the attack in slow-motion, and I take the opportunity to run.

* * *

It seems as if I have been running forever, but eventually I get to the pokémon center. I burst through the doors, shouting, "Nurse Joy! You need to- to help my pokémon!"

Luckily, the local chansey takes my pokémon and rushes them to the back. _Are they going to be okay? Is that absol still alive?_ After a few minutes of waiting, Nurse Joy comes out and she looks _pissed_.

"What the _hell_ did you do to those pokémon? I understand that absol's are rare, but you almost killed the poor thing! I'm going to report you to the Pokémon League, they'll have your trainer's licence revoked!"

 _What?! She thinks I did this?_ "Wait wait wait, Nurse Joy, I didn't hurt Absol. He saved me from gang members in the city, and I captured because it was the only way to get him here to save him. Is he going to be okay?"

She sighs. "Stupid gangs. Why can't Sabrina just deal with them? There's just not enough police officers here to deal with them. But yes, the absol will be okay. It will have to stay here for a couple of days, however. It's scythe was extremely damaged in the fight and will take a few days to heal. Your other pokémon will be healthy in a few hours."

 _Whew. At least everyone's okay._ I ask Nurse Joy, "Could I see him?"

She thinks for a few seconds, then nods. "You can't get close to him, but you can use the viewing window.

Seeing Absol hooked up to the machines almost made me want to throw up. His body is covered in scars and patches of his fur are burnt from the Hyper Beams. His scythe is all scratched up and nicked in places. _How can one pokémon survive through all of that?_ _I really hope he's okay._

Suddenly I just feel really tired and drained, even though physically I'm fine. I pull over a chair and sit down heavily. _Why am I feeling so… so tired?_ I don't try to fight it as I close my eyes and fall asleep.

A/N So... yeah. Stuff happened. Don't really know what else to say. If you have any questions or comments, ask away! I'll answer them as soon as I can (and by that, I mean the next week). AgentLucario Out!


	15. Chapter 15 - Teammates

A/N Hey guys! Just wanted to say I've been having a blast with this story so far and can't wait to finish it. R&R, and to the chapter!

Kat's POV

It's been a few days since the fight with the gang members. Pikachu and Eevee are fine and back to their usual selves, but Absol is still in the pokémon center. He's no longer hooked up to the machines, but still isn't awake. Jake stayed for a day, but he had to go for some ranger training thing. We've been keeping in touch, and he said that he'll wait for me in Vermillion.

I'm actually next to Absol right now, watching him peacefully sleep. The burns from the battle are gone, but his horn still has some nasty nicks in it and the scars are ever-present all over his body.

Suddenly his eyes shoot open and he stands up, looking around frantically, like he has no idea where he is. He barks out, "Absol, sol absol?" Pikachu tells Absol, "Pika, pikachu pi". _It really stinks that I can't understand my own pokémon._

Luckily, he calms down a bit, but he's still looking around. When he looks towards me the first thing I notice is that his eyes are a milky white. _He's blind. How in the world can he move around without bumping into anything, much less battle?_

Nurse Joy comes in, asking me, "Hey, is every- Oh! You're awake! Here, I'm just going to run a few tests and then you'll be free to go." Absol looked _really_ scared. I put my hand on his back, and suddenly I'm in the woods at night, with a not-blind Absol and a trainer.

"Alright Absol, your last test" Absol flinches at the last word. "Go and kill a beedrill in this forest. You know what happens if you fail."

Absol runs off, and I follow him through the forest. I call out to him, "Hey, wait up!" but he doesn't hear me. Eventually I hear a low _buzzzz…._ a lone beedrill flies out. Absol, taking the opportunity, starts attacking it with a ferocity I've never seen before. Absol almost looks sad as it slashes at the beedrill, nearly killing it.

But before he could deliver the final blow a whole swarm of beedrill emerges from the bushes, firing Poison Stings. Absol tries to run, but he is surrounded and runs into another beedrill. This beedrill shoots two Poison Stings straight into his eyes. The howl of pain he lets out is terrible and bone-chilling, I can't even watch. Even without his eyes he manages to blunder through the forest until he finds his trainer again.

The trainer looks at him with contempt. "Stupid Absol, Can't even kill a single beedrill. You're useless. WIth that he pulls out a pokéball, Absol's I assume, and smashes it. The sound causes Absol to flinch. The trainer kicks Absol, saying, "I never want to see your stupid face again, you hear me?" He then walks away as Absol is lying there, blinded, injured, alone, and terrified.

Just as sudden as it started it ends, and I'm back in the pokémon center next to Absol. _What was that? Was that like a memory or something?_ Still shaken from what I just saw, I reassure him, "Don't worry, nothing's going to hurt you here. She's just making sure that you're healthy." After hearing my voice, he calms down, leaving with Nurse Joy.

They come back a few minutes later. Nurse Joy tells me sadly, "I don't know how Absol ended up like this, but take care of him, okay? He's blind, but his other senses are good enough that he's somewhat aware of his surroundings."

I reassure her, "Of course. Thanks for all of your help!" I turn to Absol. "Follow me."

He follows me out, and once we're in a nearby park I place his pokéball on the ground in front of him. "I used this pokéball to save your life, but I won't force you to come with me. If you want to break it and return to your life in the streets, go ahead."

He stares at the ball intensely, then nudges it towards me. Surprised, I ask, "So you want to come with me?" He nods, saying "Ab, absol!"

I pull out my pokédex and scan Absol, the robotic voice tells me, "Absol, the disaster pokémon. Rumored to sense disasters with its horn, it became a target and most fled into the mountains."

 _Well, that explains why that girl hated him. Is that how he battles? Can he sense little disasters and move accordingly? That's actually really cool._

I learn that he knows Slash, Night Slash, Sucker Punch, and Psycho Cut. _Man, those are some powerful moves. How in the world did Absol learn all of these moves?_ _Could that memory be true? If Absol is a previously trained pokémon, it explains how he's so powerful._ _If it is true, that also means that he's had an awful life._

While we relax (or at least, Absol and I are relaxing while Pikachu and Eevee run around) someone walks up to us. "Hey, you're a pokémon trainer, right? How 'bout a battle?"

I stand up, replying, "Sure! My name's Kat. What's yours?

"My name's Jessica. Nice to meet you."

"One on one sound good?"

"Sure! Go Quilava!"

"Quil!" A pokémon with a blue back and cream-colored underside appears, it's back spouting flames. _This is a good time to train Absol_. "Alright, Absol, you're up!"

Absol gets up, stretches a bit, then stands in front of the Quilava. Both the other trainer and his quilava take a step back. "Whoa, what happened to your Absol? Is it okay?"

Absol growls in annoyance. I respond a little defensively, "Don't worry about him. He can still battle just fine." Absol stops growling, staring fiercely towards the quilava.

Jessica hesitates, but says, "Well…. Okay then. Quilava, Ember!"

A weak amount of fire slowly makes its way towards Absol. _Really?_ "Hey, don't go easy on us. Absol, dodge and use Night Slash!"

Absol easily dodges the small amount of fire and nails Quilava with a powerful blade of dark energy. Quilava is knocked back, but gets on its feet, much more fired up than before.

Jessica, no longer hesitant, calls out, "Okay, didn't expect that. Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Quilava curls up into a ball, flames igniting on its back,, and quickly starts charging Absol.

"Sidestep, then Slash!" Absol moves to the side, but before he can attack her Jessica warns Quilava, "Right!"

Quilava suddenly turns and meets the Slash head on. Both pokémon are knocked back but get up ready for more.

"Flame Wheel again!" Quilava starts curling up ready to attack, but before she can get going I call out, "Sucker Punch!"

Absol disappears, then rams into Quilava, sending it tumbling before it can get its attack started. I tell Absol, "Great job! Finish it with Night Slash!"

Jessica confidently says, "Flame Wheel!" The two pokémon meet head to head, and are both thrown backwards. Quilava slowly gets back up, tired but still standing. Absol, on the other hand, tries to get up but collapses. I return Absol, whispering to the pokéball, "You did awesome." A moment later, Jessica comes up to me, "Hey, that was a great battle. I haven't had anyone give Quilava a run for her money in a long time. Just out of curiosity, how many badges do you have?"

"Uh, just two. Why?" She looks at me in surprise.

"Just two! Wow. I already have four, and Quilava's pretty well trained for that. I have to run now. Good luck on the rest of your journey!"

"Alright, See ya!"

After Jessica leaves I heal Absol back up at the pokémon center, then return to the park. I send Absol out and put a reassuring hand on his back. However, he flinches from the touch. _What did Absol's former trainer do to him? He's afraid of me just because he lost._ I gently stroke his back, saying, "Hey, you did great. Don't worry about losing. That quilava was really tough. We lose all the time. It's how we get stronger. Alright? Don't beat yourself up." Absol relaxes a little bit, but he's still somewhat tense.

"Chu Pikachu!" "Eevee vee!" Pikachu and Eevee are looking at us. I laugh and say, "Hey, I think those two want to play with them. Why don't you? Sometimes you just need to have a little fun."

He looks towards them cautiously, then trots over to them.

I simply lay on the grass, looking up at the sky and relax as my pokémon play nearby.

Pikachu's POV

As Absol trots over to Eevee and me, he seems reserved, almost scared. He quietly asks, "Does Master ever hurt you guys?" _Wait, what?_

Surprised, I stop and turn to him. "No, she's a nice trainer. We're a team, and teammates help each other out. She treats us like her own family."

He relaxes a bit, but then Eevee comes up to us. She bluntly asks, "What happened to your eyes?"

 _Arceus, Eevee! Don't you know when to shut up?! One of these day's I'm going to have to teach you about sensitivity._

Absol stiffens and shakes, distant from us. Eevee asks, "Are you okay?"

He suddenly snaps out of his trance and stands up shakily. "S-Sorry. I was remembering certain… things that aren't exactly pleasant."

 _What things? What made him this way?_ I tell Eevee, "Hey, why don't you chill out by Kat for a little while?"

She innocently smiles, says, "Okay!" and prances over. I look at Absol and calmly tell him, "If you want, you can tell me. I just don't think that Eevee's cut out for the harsh reality that most wild pokémon have to endure."

Taking a deep breath, he tells me, "Master- former Master - was extremely driven to win pokémon battles, but he didn't care about the well being of his pokémon. There were these… tests." He spits the last word out with such contempt, like it's a curse. "First, it was harmless. Find food. Battle a pidgey. Then it got worse. Killing local pokémon like nidoran or rattata. Sometimes torturing, or even maiming them." I just stand there wide eyed. _What kind of monster would make his pokémon do this?_ His head lowers, but he continues. "If we didn't finish the 'tests', sometimes we were whipped. Sometimes we weren't fed. Other times we were forced to train for hours. My final 'test' was to find and kill a… a beedrill. I attacked one, and a whole swarm retaliated. Two Poison Stings… that was the last thing I ever saw."

 _What kind of hell did this pokémon go through?_

The thing is, he _keeps going_. "After I finally stumble back to my trainer using my other senses to figure out where he is, and my danger sense to avoid running into trees, he then kicks me and just… just disappears. He just leaves me in the forest, blind and injured. Since then I've made it to a city and have been living in the streets, honing my danger sense to see the potential disasters around me and using my other senses to somewhat understand my surroundings.

After he finishes, the only thing I manage to stutter out is, "I'm… I'm sorry."

He turns towards me now, his white eyes seemingly staring into me. "So… what's your story? How did master find you?"

 _Wh… what? Nononono - don't think about them - don't think about them._ However, he persists. "You have nothing to be afraid of. There's no danger in you telling me."

 _He has a right to know. It wasn't easy for him to tell me his story, and I shouldn't hide this for so long._ "Al… Alright. In Viridian Forest it's not too uncommon to find clans of pichu, pikachu, and raichu, at least for pokémon. They're generally very good at hiding from trainers. Anyway, my clan was different; they didn't want to hide from trainers. They loved battling so much and got so strong that they could challenge trainers and beat them. But…" _Do I want to go through with this? Is this the right decision?_

…

 _Yes. I have to face my past eventually_.

Absol is patient, calmly waiting for me to continue. "But I never really liked to battle. I was shunned by my own clan because I never liked to battle, and no other clan would take me in because of the clan I was born into. But soon the trainers started realizing there were powerful pikachu and raichu in the area. Eventually there was nobody left in my clan, save a few mothers and pichu, who vanished. At this point I was all but forgotten, never accepted into another clan. I survived for months on my own, always opting to run away and avoid battle. Then the Rockets came after me, and Kat saved me. I've been with her ever since."

Absol doesn't make any movements for a while. I hesitantly ask him, "Are- Are you okay?"

He asks a simple question. "Why do you battle?"

 _Why do I battle? I don't really like it myself, so why do I keep fighting for Kat?_ I honestly answer him, "Battling makes me stronger, and that strength will help me protect my friends."

He nods. "Good. I know you fear that you will become like your clan. You are not like them, who foolishly battled for strength and strength alone. But you will succeed where they have failed because you have an unselfish goal; you fight not for yourself, but for others."

 _How… how did he see through me?_ "H-h-how?"

He gives a grim smile. "Absol live for a very long time, longer than some humans. I've thought a lot about these things, battling, trainers, life, death. I have found the answers to many of my questions, and yet I still have a reflex to fear failure and my master. My heightened danger sense, physically tells me she is not going to hurt me, but I still flash back to my former master, who beat me, indirectly blinded me, and left me for dead every time I lose."

He pauses, then continues. "We'll get through this together, you and I. You said that we're teammates, and teammates help each other out. I've never really had anyone like that. Hopefully you will find yourself, and I will move on with my past."

"Pikachu, Absol!" Kat calls out nearby. Absol glances at me with his pale eyes (which honestly I find kinda creepy), then looks towards Kat as he slowly trots over. I sigh. _Man, this is going to be really hard to explain to Eevee. Oh well._ I run back to Kat and start running in front of her with Eevee while Absol looks on in amusement as he walks along.

A/N So, a lot of heavy stuff here. I hope I didn't offend anyone that knows blind people. Just to clarify a few questions that you guys might have:

1\. Yes, Absol is blind, but he can still tell where things are based on sound & smell. Until then, he's in the dark.

2\. His danger sense allows him to tell when a disaster (large or small) can happen, such as an enemy attack or even something as simple as walking into a wall or tripping.

3\. My beta reader pointed out that Absol's eyes should be scarred or missing if the Poison Stings caused it. I don't like the mental image that makes (white eyes are so much more badass) so instead my reasoning is that it was the poison that actually caused the blindness, not the impact (sorry if I also messed this up)

That's all I have for today. Thanks for reading! AgentLucario Out!


	16. Chapter 16 - Mindgames (Part One)

A/N Hello! Sorry this chapter came out a little later than usual, but my cross country team just won the League Meet. Yay! Onto the chapter!

Kat's POV

My dream world is different; it's darker and more gloomy than the other times I was here (I'm not counting the weird vision). Instead of Arceus appearing out of the shadows, I find Mewtwo.

Surprised, I ask, "What are you doing here?"

Stoic as ever, he responds, " _I am simply a messenger. Arceus has to attend to other matters."_

 _Huh?_ "Do these 'other matters' have to deal with this place being darker than normal?"

He nods. " _I see you've been noticing it too. A global catastrophe is coming, and the Hall can already sense it. It's trying to warn us of the upcoming disaster. Arceus instructed me to warn you of this upcoming calamity, and tell you to prepare for it."_

 _Probably the dream I had a little while ago._ _Wait, 'Hall'?_ "What do you mean by 'Hall'? I thought this was some dream world."

" _This is the Hall of Origin, where Arceus lives. The only access point in the physical realm is in Sinnoh, but you and I get here through our dreams."_ He pauses. " _I can tell you're in Saffron City. I assume you are planning to fight the gym leader, Sabrina. Be on your guard. If she finds out that you know me, she will not hesitate to attack to try to find my location."_

"Uh… why?"

…

 _Huh. Never thought Mewtwo would be speechless._ "What did you do?"

" _Nothing you should be worried about."_

…

" _I was trying to set up mental shields for you, but it appears that you already have something protecting you preventing me from setting anything up."_

"Oh right, the necklace that Arceus gave me. That's probably it."

" _Then keep it close. It won't prevent Sabrina from reading your surface thoughts, but it'll be enough to prevent her from tearing apart your mind. As a warning, she can make your pokémon hear or see things that aren't there. Your necklace protects you, but not them. Until next time."_

 _Wait, tearing apart my mind? That doesn't sound very nice._ The world blurs, and I wake up in the pokémon center next to Eevee and Pikachu, while Absol quietly sleeps on the sofa.

I gently shake Eevee and Pikachu awake, then walk over to Absol and wake him up too.

"Hey guys, rise and shine. We have a gym battle today." To Absol, I ask, "Hey, do you mind getting in the pokéball? It's up to you, I won't force you to do anything. It just might make it easier to get through the city." He nods, and I return him to his pokéball.

* * *

When we get to the gym I have an uneasy feeling about it, but that's probably just nerves. The building is completely empty inside except for a woman standing on the edge of a battlefield.

She ominously says, "I've been expecting you, Katherine. I sense a power inside of you unlike any other. This will be a three on three battle. Now, prepare yourself. Go, Abra!"

 _Okay. Probably has psychic powers, definitely creepy. I wonder how she knew about my powers. Must be a psychic thing. Alright, Psychic type pokémon. I don't want to use Absol yet and wait for what she has in store._

"Okay, Pikachu, you're up!"

Pikachu hops onto the battlefield, cheeks sparking.

Sabrina says, "You can have the first move."

"Alright, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Teleport!"

Abra teleports behind Pikachu, and the attack misses. "Try again!" Once again, Abra teleports to safety. "Keep trying until I think of something!" While Pikachu fires around Thunderbolts, I start thinking. _This could be tricky. How can I hit Abra if it constantly teleports? Wait, just hit everywhere at once._

"Pikachu, Quick Attack up the walls!"

I could hear a faint whisper in my head. " _Wh-... yo-... -ing?"_

 _Shoot, she's psychic. I just have to not think about what I'm planning to do. Great._

"Pikachu, Iron Tail the floor!"

Sabrina's eyes widen as she finally realizes my plan. "Abra, teleport onto Pikachu!"

Pikachu slams into the ground, cracking it and throwing up debris around him. Logically, the only safe place is where Pikachu is, but this works to my advantage.

"Thunderbolt, now!"

The crackle of electricity shines through the dust, and when it clears Abra is unconscious next to a tired but still mostly hale Pikachu.

She returns the defeated Abra. Two similar pokémon, one wearing a dress and the other having arm blades of some sort, glowed for a second before Pikachu is lifted up and the ground is smoothed over. Confused, I ask, "What was that?"

She simply responds, "Trainees. A gardevoir and a gallade. It helps to have somebody to repair the battlefield every now and then, and it's good training for them. You successfully defeated my Abra, but let's see how you deal with this. His evolved form, Kadabra!" _Hmm, an evolved form of abra. I wonder what the spoon's for._ "Hey, Pikachu, you still want to battle?"

He nods with a "Pika!". I tell him, "Alright, Thunderbolt!"

Without a word being spoken, a near-invisible screen appears in front of Kadabra, blocking the Thunderbolt. _What?_ Sabrina says, "You have done will so far, but I have an advantage you don't. I can tell my pokémon what to do without speaking." _Great, now I have to battle without knowing what she's going to do._ _Wait, I have my pokédex_.

I pull it out and scan the area in front of Kadabra.

The robotic voice responds, "Analyzing…. Light Screen, a move that deflects energy-based moves."

 _Well, Thunderbolt is out. Crap._ "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu dashes towards Kadabra, but is picked up by a pink glow* and tossed across the arena.

 _How am I going to get close to him?_ _Maybe I can hide in the dust cloud._

"Pikachu, Quick Attack up the walls!"

However, before he gets very far Kadabra's spoon glows and it feels like something's pushing down on me. But I'm not the target. The entire battlefield cracks under the pressure and Pikachu is knocked down, struggling to get up.

I cry out in worry, "Pikachu!" Before he can get up, he's picked up by the pink glow and thrown against the floor, unconscious.

I pick him up and gingerly place him next to me. I whisper to him, "You did great." and tell Eevee, "Okay, let's finish what Pikachu started."

The ground has already been smoothed out by the gardevoir and the gallade, and Eevee hops onto the battlefield excited.

"Let's start with Quick Attack!"

Eevee blurs in, but just before she reaches him she is picked up by the pink glow and thrown back.

Eevee's POV

Why won't the stupid thing let me hit him!? I've been trying Quick Attacks, Digs, and Tackles but everything is just thrown back at me. Kat is stumped, which is unusual. A voice enters my head.

" _This is a pointless battle. Give up, you can't touch me."_

In my own head I shout, " _NEVER!"_ and rush him again, only to be tossed back. His voice continues. " _I don't even have to try against the likes of you. It's kind of pathetic and sad, actually."_

Every time I get thrown back or he says something to me, I start losing hope. I start moving slower, and take more time to get back up. There's something void of energy filling me. _Wait. It's like I can almost reach it._ I reach further into that weird void inside me and try to force it out, and surprisingly a pretty orb of purple appears in front of me. I shoot it towards his mustache-wearing face, and it finally hits him. _Yes! Take that!_

Both Kat and the weird psychic lady are surprised. Kat tells me, "Eevee, you just learned Shadow Ball!" _Oh, so that's what it's called. Okay!_ Kat tells me, "Shadow Ball again!" I reach that void inside me and fire at spoon 'mon and he staggers back as it hits again. A pink glow covers me. _Nonononono not again._ Kat tells me, "Dig!" and I dig under the ground, escaping the evil pink light of movingness.

But somehow, the pink light follows me and I'm stuck, no matter how hard I try to move. I can barely hear Kat's voice. "Ee-... Sha-... -all" _What?_ Another voice enters my head, this time familiar. " _Eevee, Shadow Ball!"_ _Oh, that's what she said._ Unable to move, I can still charge a shadow ball. I detonate it straight up, and a dust cloud covers me. I hop out of the hole I made and find an unconscious spoon 'mon and lots of debris everywhere. _Did I do that?_

Kat calls out to me, "Eevee, come back here. That was amazing."

 _You bet it was! But, I am a bit tired._ I walk over to Kat and hang out with Pikachu, who's awake.

Kat's POV

 _Wow. I never expected Eevee to learn Shadow Ball on her own. I guess she's stronger than I thought. Okay, last pokémon._

Sabrina gives me a look. "What is it with you and destroying the floor? No matter. Your final test, Alakazam!"

A new yellow pokémon appears with a bigger mustache than the last and two spoons. _Yikes, must be more powerful than Kadabra. Time for my secret weapon._

"Absol, let's go!"

Absol appears in front of me onto the battlefield and gets into a battle stance. Sabrina's eyes widen. "Where did you find that pokémon?"

Absol flinches after hearing her voice. I notice this, and respond "Uh, in the streets. It saved me from some gang members, and decided to join me. Why, do you know him?"

"There was a challenger, years ago, that came with an absol, covered in scars. It put up a good fight, but ultimately lost. The next time the challenger came back, he didn't use the absol. Suspicious, I searched his mind and found that he abandoned the absol. I had no way of tracking or finding it, and assumed it had died. But here we are, facing each other once again."

I reassure Absol. "Trust me, this isn't like last time. This time we'll win." He once again gets into a battle stance, ready for what comes next.

I wait for her to go first this time, but she remains silent. _Oookay then._ "Absol, Night Slash!" He lunges at Alakazam, who vanishes and appears in front of me on the battlefield. _Crap, another teleporter._ Absol frantically turns around in confusion. I tell him, "He can teleport! I'll help you know where he is."

Alakazam charges a blue orb of energy and fires at Absol. I call out, "Dodge right and Slash towards my voice!"

As he dodges and makes another run towards Alakazam, the spoon-wielding pokémon vanishes and appears behind Absol and fires the same blue orb at him.

The powerful attack connects and Absol is thrown backwards. He gets up shakily and shakes his head. He then starts jumping around frantically even though there is nothing there. While he's panicking Alakazam nails him with another blue energy orb. _Why is he doing that?_ I close my eyes and I hear a sudden _buzzzzz_. _Wait, what?_ I open my eyes and the buzzing stops. I close my eyes again and the buzzing continues. _Wait, didn't Mewtwo say something about this?_ I remember Mewtwo's voice. " _She can make your pokémon hear or see things that aren't there." She must be messing with his head, making him hear beedrill._

I tell Absol, "Don't listen to the beedrill. They aren't there. Focus on my voice. Trust me."

Luckily, he stops panicking, takes a few breaths, and prepares himself. I call out, "Night Slash on your right!"

He lunges towards Alakazam, who predictably teleports behind him. Before Alakazam can attack, I tell Absol, "Behind you!"

Quick on his feet Absol turns and scores a direct hit on Alakazam. Surprised, Alakazam staggers back, breathing heavily. Alakazam glows again, and Absol jumps towards him and gets hit by another blast of energy. On his last legs, Absol gets up, shaking and confused.

 _Shoot. Sabrina can make him hear things that aren't there, maybe even my voice. I could get to Eevee underground by broadcasting thoughts, it's worth a shot._

" _Absol! Sabrina's using my voice now! Keep following whatever directions my voice tells you, but Night Slash in the direction you are told to dodge!"_

 _I hope this works._ Absol jumps again towards Alakazam, but this time his horn is lit with dark energy. When the attack connects, there is an explosion and a small dust cloud appears.

When the dust clears Alakazam is unconscious, and Absol is breathing heavily and shaking, but still conscious.

 _Holy crap, I did it._ I return Absol, whispering into his pokéball, "Great job." I look at Sabrina, who is glowing pink with energy. Suddenly an abra teleports right in front of me, takes my necklace, then teleports away. _Ocrap._ Sabrina has a grim smile on her face as I'm picked up by psychic energy. She darkly says, "Now your shield is gone. Tell me where Mewtwo is."

*I know in the anime psychic is blue, but pink makes more sense to me

A/N Dun Dun DUUUN! Kat's definitely in a tight spot. Thanks for reading, and see ya next week!


	17. Chapter 17 - Mindgames (Part Two)

A/N Why do I even put this here? I don't have much to say, except thanks for reading!

Kat's POV

 _Oh no. I don't have my necklace. All of my pokémon are exhausted, and Sabrina has psychic powers. What can be worse?_

The air seems to get thinner and it's harder to breathe. Sabrina laughs maniacally, looking much different than the gym leader I just faced.. "Having trouble breathing? Don't worry, you're not actually suffocating, but it's interesting to see how the body reacts to when it _thinks_ it's being suffocated. So I'll ask again. Where is Mewtwo?"

 _Come on, how do I get out of this?_ I can't breathe, it's hard to think, and I start to see colored spots. My pokémon look helplessly from across the battlefield, the gardevoir and gallade preventing them from reaching me. _I don't care how much you hurt me, I'm not telling you where Mewtwo is._

Sabrina frowns, then suddenly I'm on the floor, gasping as Sabrina releases her hold on me. She sneers at me. "Fine. Be that way."

A sudden pain fills my head, like a knife stabbing into my mind. The pain seems to fade as the world goes white.

* * *

I'm suddenly in a long hallway, brightly lit with lots of doors. _Where am I? Where are my pokémon? What did Sabrina do?_

"You're in your mind. This is where all of your memories are. Physically, you're still in the gym but both you and Sabrina are comatose while in here. As for her, she's currently searching for your memories of Mewtwo."

I turn, and none other than Sabrina is standing there. "Wh-What? How?" Taking a closer look, this Sabrina is different than the one that attacked me. This Sabrina had the elegance and grace present when I started my gym battle.

She responded, "Yes, I am Sabrina. Well, half of her anyway. Embracing my innate psychic abilities was the greatest gift I could ever have: it allowed me to connect with my pokémon, friends, and family on a deeper level, and I could use my gift to help others. However, it came at a cost. The strain the training put on my mind created a second Sabrina, one obsessed with power and will do anything to get it. Usually I'm able to keep her in check, but when you thought of Mewtwo during the battle she caught me off guard and took over."

 _Wow, that was more complicated than I thought._ I tentatively ask, "So... how do we find the psychopath running through my mind, and how do we stop her?"

She smiles. "This is your mind, you know. If you thought your powers were cool in the physical world, just wait until you see what you can do here."

 _Well, at least that's reassuring._ "Wait. You never explained how we find her."

"We don't. This is your mind, you know where your memories are. Find the ones with Mewtwo in it and wait for her to show up."

 _Okay, seems easy enough. The only issue is I don't know how this place is organized._ "Uh, how again?"

"Oh right. To find a memory, just think of something."

 _I guess? Alright, let's give it a shot. "Mewtwo"_

The hallway seems to warp around us as the doors vanish and reappear. There are two doors that seem to be shining. _Those must be it._

Sabrina leans against a wall. "And now we wait."

I suddenly realize something. "How long do we have to wait? I kind of want to get back to the real world."

She just laughs in response. "The mind doesn't work like the physical world. Seconds out there seem like hours in here. When we get back it'll only have been a few moments since we left."

* * *

Ten minutes pass, and still nobody has shown up. I sigh. "Where is she? Is it supposed to take this long?"

Sabrina frowns. "No, she should be able to find her way around pretty well. Arceus, I hope we don't have to wait for hours for her to show up."

I freeze. _Crap, I have memories of Arceus, a literal god._ "Uh, you said that the other you wants power, right?"

Hesitantly she responds, "Yeeeaah. Why?"

I blanch. "I've met Arceus in my dreams. If she wants power and she stumbled upon those first…."

Sabrina gasps. "We need to find her now."

 _Well, here we go again._ " _Arceus"_

The doors once again warp around us, although this time a freaky purple-eyed dragon is charging after us.

My throat goes dry as I ask, "Is… is that her?"

Sabrina just stands there like there isn't a giant dragon coming to destroy us. "Yep."

I weakly attempt to hurl a lightning bolt at it, which does virtually nothing. I try launching a dark blade at her, and it only mildly annoyed it. "WhatdoIdoWhatdoIdo?" Dragon-Sabrina is still charging towards us, her maw glowing purple, and I can't do anything to stop it.

Sabrina sighs, then opens a door, drags me through, and closes it shut. We're in my dream land, or the Hall of Origin I guess, alone without a giant dragon. Well, I see myself and Arceus talking about something in the background, but that's not really important now.

She turns to me. "You're able to use your gifts in the physical world here, but that won't do anything against her. You need to fully believe that this isn't the physical world and that anything is possible. Once you do that, you'll be able to do so much more than just shoot lightning bolts or night slashes. Start with something simple. Think of a flower spontaneously appearing in front of you. Don't think that it's impossible, or that it shouldn't happen. You need to believe with every fiber in your body that that flower will appear.

 _Come on come on come on, Flower!_ Nothing. _Flower!_ Still nothing. _Flower!_ Something finally appears, although only a leaf. I sigh in exasperation. "Can't you do it instead?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. This is your mind. You have more power here. The most I can do is make a shield, but that won't do much here."

A hole rips into my memory and Dragon-Sabrina charges through. _Ugh, how does she find us so quickly?_ _Okay, think Kat. How do you stop a dragon… Ice, that's it!_

The first thing that pops into my head is that weird ice gun the rockets had, and suddenly it materializes in my hands.

 _I hope this works._ I point the gun at the charging dragon, and fire. A solid light blue beam hits Sabrina directly, encasing her in solid ice.

Sabrina warns me, "You're getting the hang of it, but that won't hold her for long. Come on!"

Another door appears, and both of us run through.

 _Whoa._ This time, we're in Cerulean Cave, with Mewtwo talking to me. Sabrina gasps in surprise, and Mewtwo turns to us. " _I've been waiting for you. You didn't think that I wouldn't be watching, did you?"_

Another hole rips open and Dragon-Sabrina comes through. Mewtwo glows pink, and the dragon is stopped in her place, unable to move.

A slight amount of strain creeps into Mewtwo's psychic voice. " _I can't hold her forever, you have to do something."_

 _Well, I still have the cold gun, that did something. But how do I make it more powerful. Wait, Sabrina's not just a dragon, she's still psychic._

I imagine the ice gun being coated with dark energy, and it becomes shrouded in a dark mist. _I hope that means it worked._

Mewtwo's hold on her starts to crack. " _I… I can't hold her for much longer."_ I quickly take aim at the dragon, and fire.

The knockback pushes me a few feet as the much larger beam of black and light blue races towards the dragon.

 _ **BANG.**_ The resulting explosion knocks everyone off of their feet (except for Mewtwo because he's floating) and creates a huge dust cloud.

When the dust clears, Dragon-Sabrina is on the ground, panting, but still conscious. The gun glows pink, then is yanked out of my hands and crushed by the dragon's massive claws. I look around. Mewtwo's leaning against the wall, unable to do much and friendly-Sabrina can't do much. I'm completely alone.

 _Wait, I'm not. My pokémon are still in the gym._ Thinking of all of them: Eevee, Pikachu, and Absol, a strange feeling enters my heart, when suddenly all three of them appear from thin air in front of me.

Eevee looks at me surprised. "Kat! You're okay!" She looks around. "Uh, where are we? And where did mean psychic pokémon with dress and mean psychic pokémon with blade-arms go?"

I look at Eevee in shock. _I can understand her?_ "Uh, Eevee, I can understand you." Eevee looks at me even more confused than before. "Hoooowww? Mind stuff makes my head hurt."

Next to me Sabrina smiles. "This is your mind. Your connection with your pokémon is very powerful in the physical world but even more so here."

"Sweet!" Meanwhile, Dragon-Sabrina looks amused. Her deep guttural voice echoes in the cave. " **So now everyone's here, huh? I can't wait just to sink my claws into you bunch."**

"Heads up guys, you can pretty much do anything in here. I think." Absol gets into a battle stance, Pikachu's cheeks start sparking, and Eevee, well, Eevee hides behind me. "I don't like big scary psychic dragons!" An idea pops into my head.

"What if I made you a big scary psychic dragon like her?"

She thinks for a bit, then shakes her head. "Maybe a psychic cat. Would that work?"

I laugh despite the seriousness of the situation. "Sure." I concentrate, envisioning some form of psychic cat.

Eevee glows for a second, and when the light clears a pink cat with a gem on her forehead is standing in front of me.

" _Yay! Now take this, evil dragon!"_

A massive wave of energy blasts around the cave, chipping some of it. However, the actual target fared much worse. Taken by surprise, Dragon-Sabrina is launched against the wall.

" **Ugh. Enough games."** A pink fireball is launched at us, but Pikachu intercepts it with an Iron Tail, sending it back towards her and knocking her to the ground. "I'm really liking this whole 'we can do anything' thing in here."

Absol grins. "You have no idea." I take a closer look at Absol, who has eyes that aren't milky white. _I guess my pokémon get the hang of things quicker than I do._ He sends a Night Slash towards the fallen dragon, which stuns her even more.

For some reason I think of Arceus, and something responds. Bright orbs of white light appear in my hands. "My turn. Now Get. Out. Of. My Head!" The bright laser shoots towards her, and then everything goes white.

* * *

When I open my eyes I'm on the ground of the gym. Groggily I get up, looking around. Sabrina is getting up, and so are my pokémon. Gardevoir and Gallade looked very confused, looking at something to my left. I turn and see Mewtwo hovering there.

Startled I take a step back. "Gah! Seriously, you need to learn personal space."

" _I'm sorry. A physical connection was needed to enter your mind."_ _Well, okay, that explains that._ I look at Sabrina. "This is the good version of you, yes? Not the power-hungry, I want to destroy you dragon version of you?"

She smiles. "Yes, this is me. After you defeated her I managed to lock her away with very powerful psychic shields. She won't be coming back for a while." She sees Mewtwo and looks down. "I know you rejected me earlier, but could you please reconsider? If anything, just to lock the darkness within me so that she never gets free again."

Mewtwo is silent for a few moments, then speaks up. " _Alright. After all, it is technically my fault that your darkness was personified. It is only my responsibility to fix it."_

Sabrina looks very relieved, then exclaims, "Oh, I almost forgot. Here." A simple gold circular badge appears. "You definitely earned this one. For most trainers I command my pokémon with psychic commands. For more challenging battles sometimes I disorient their pokémon. But you have done more than anyone else and managed to defeat my power-hungry half. Here you go, the Marsh Badge. _Sweet!_ I take the badge and slip it into my pocket. I walk over to my pokémon, of which Eevee looks disappointed. I can guess why.

"Sorry, you're not a psychic cat here. Here you're just Eevee, my carefree lovable pokémon." I then wrap her in a hug, and she brightens up. "Vee, Eevee!"

" _Farewell."_

I barely turn towards Mewtwo before he vanishes, teleporting elsewhere. Sabrina sits down next to me. She looks exhausted.

"Well, that was certainly interesting. At least Mewtwo finally agreed to train me, which will help prevent something like this happening again. I do have to ask, how did you get through to Absol? I used Miracle Eye to disorient him, but I can't detect a shred of psychic power in you."

"Huh. I've never thought about it that way. I just thought of Absol and we were just connected in some way."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck on your journey. You're special; I don't need psychic powers to figure that out. Oh, and good luck with him."

My face goes red. "Wh- wh- what? What are you talking about?"

She laughs. "Oh come on, we were in your mind. I had to go through some memories to find you somehow. Speaking of which, you better get back to the pokémon center. It's getting late."

"Ok. Thanks! Eevee! Pikachu! Absol! Time to go!" I return Absol while Eevee and Pikachu hop on my shoulders as we head back to the pokémon center, where thankfully everything is normal with no crazy psychic dragon-lady trying to kill us.

A/N Whew! I had a bit of fun writing Sabrina. And Eevee totally did not turn into an espeon, because she doesn't know what an espeon is (Or does she... :)) Until Next Time!


	18. Chapter 18 - Ranger Rescue (Part One)

A/N Heyo, I'm back! Thanks to Eon the Zoroark and Teraunce for reviewing, it means a lot. Thanks to all of my readers as well. To the chapter!

Kat's POV

I know that Sabrina's now good and everything, but I'm still glad to get out of Saffron City. Jake's waiting for me in Vermillion City, and Absol is resting in his pokéball while Pikachu and Eevee run around. I know that they play often, but I'm pretty sure that Pikachu is just humoring Eevee at this point.

Oh look, it's that same spearow in a tree off in the distance. _Seriously, why does he keep following us?_ I call out to him, "Hey, you don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you." Startled, he flies away, some rustling leaves the only evidence he was ever there.

 _I'm starting to get a little worried. Doesn't he have a family or something?_ As I'm thinking Vermillion City comes into view.

While smaller than Saffron, Vermillion is still a fairly large city with a busy harbor. Jake said that there was some sort of ranger school here, but I don't see anything.

 _RUMBLE_

 _What was that?_ I look towards the harbor and see a large dust cloud.

 _ **RUMBLE**_

The sound is getting louder and the dust cloud is moving closer. I can barely make out what looks like a bull-like pokémon. _This doesn't look good._

I quickly tell Eevee and Pikachu, "Hey, let's get off the path." and jump to the side. Thankfully, they both follow me.

 _ **RUUMMMBBBLLEEEE**_

My pokémon and I are safe, but I see a little boy run out on the road. I shout at him, "HEY! GET OFF THE ROAD!" but he doesn't hear me. The herd of pokémon thunder towards him. I have to act now.

Time slows down as I start to run after the boy. But before I can do so, a large hawk somehow moves faster than I do and grabs the boy and gets him off the road. Meanwhile somebody grabs me and pulls me away from the road as the bulls roar by.

A gruff voice yells harshly, "HEY! What the Hell do you think you're doing? Those tauros are dangerous!"

I turn and see that my "savior" is a very muscular man about my dad's age or so. He looks at me almost angrily. "What do you think you would have done? Run out in front of a group of stampeding tauros? You're not the police or the rangers; leave the job to them."

 _Yeesh. Sorry._ "Sorry. Thanks. By any chance, was it your pokémon that saved that kid?"

He gaze softens a bit. "Yes and no. Staraptor's stuck with me for a while now, but that's his choice, not mine."

Something about that seems a little odd. He said that it was Staraptor's choice to stay with him. Suddenly an idea pops in my head.

"Hey, are you by any chance a ranger? I'm looking for my friend at some ranger school or something."

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "You know, I think you might be the first trainer to ever ask where the Ranger HQ is." He looks off into the distance, watching Staraptor fly slowly around with the young boy on his back. "Let's get him back to his parents first, and then I'll take you to the HQ. Oh, by the way, my name's Mike."

* * *

After we bring the boy back to his parents, Mike and I head over to a clean but simple building near the edge of the city. As we walk in, I see a lot of people frantically running around. I hold Eevee and Pikachu closer to me and quietly ask Mike, "Is it always this crazy?"

He frowns. "The tauros stampede would cause some commotion, but nothing like this." He calls over someone. "Hey, Josh, what's going on?"

Josh runs over, and gasps out, "Apparently one of ours released a whole bunch of tauros from the harbor intentionally. Now the police and the PLB are on our backs to find out who did it and why."

 _What's the PLB?_

Mike's frown deepens. He turns to me. "Tell you what. The trainees are probably in the right wing. If you need any help, ask anyone. Hope you find your friend!"

 _Well, I guess I'm on my own._ Weaving through people to the right wing, I open the doors to thankfully an empty hallway. There's a map on the side of the wall. _That's convenient_.

The right wing seems to be made up of mostly classrooms, with dorms and a field in the back. _I'm guessing that's where I'd find Jake._

After figuring out how to get to the courtyard, I enter the fairly large park with lots of open space and a few people relaxing. I look at everybody, but none of them is Jake. _Maybe somebody knows him._ I walk up to a group of people chatting and ask,

"Excuse me, do you by any chance know Jake?"

They all turn to look at me. One of them speaks for the group. "Who?"

"Uh, Jake. Brown hair, blue eyes, has a wooper."

They all start suddenly laughing.

"What? Do you know him?"

One of them manages to stop laughing long enough to gasp out, "I… I can't believe that loser actually got a girlfriend!"

 _Ugh. Maybe somebody else will be more helpful._

Somebody walks up to me and quietly asks, "You're looking for Jake, right?"

I turn and see a girl around my age slouching and looking at the ground. "Yeeah. Do you know him?"

She looks at me, her eyes soft and kind. "Come with me then.."

She quickly moves to the other side of the courtyard, and I have to jog to keep up. Finally we get to a secluded section of the courtyard, hidden by shadows. I turn the corner and see Jake. He looks different than when I last saw him in Saffron City. He seems depressed, with some bruises on his face. Wooper is next to him, sleeping. He brightens up when he sees me and… oh shoot I never got her name.

"Kat! When did you get here? It's nice to see you again." He turns to the girl that led me here. "Julia, thanks for finding her. You know what'll happen if I walk out."

Alright. Enough is enough. "Jake, what's going on? How did you get those bruises?"

He sighs. "I guess I should tell you everything." He looks fondly at Wooper. "After I found him in the safari zone injured and alone, I decided that I wanted to be a pokémon ranger. However, my parents disagreed. They practically kicked me out of the house."

 _You've got to be kidding me. What kind of parents would do that? Now that I think about it, Jake never travelled with much, just a sleeping bag, some medical supplies, and food._

He continues. "So with barely any money and Wooper, I wanted to travel the region a bit before officially joining the rangers as a trainee. That's when I met you near Mount Moon."

He looks at the ground. "When I got here that's when everything went wrong. They let me in, but the people here aren't the nicest. Those people you met in the courtyard are all rich with the latest technology and whatever they want, and they think it's funny to pick on the poor guy. And of course, almost everyone else around this place follows them because it's 'cool'. Julia here is the only one that actually was nice to me."

He motions to his bruises. "Those jerks said that if I showed my face again, they would go after Wooper, not me. That's why I'm back here."

 _Geez, what is wrong with this place?_ "Why don't the teachers do anything?"

He laughs bitterly. "Don't get me wrong, the teachers here are great. But because the rangers are part of law enforcement between the police and the G-men, they're constantly busy helping the rest of the region. As a result, the trainees are mostly left on their own."

Suddenly lights start to flash around the courtroom and an announcement is made over the PA system.

"All trainees go back to your dorms immediately. Ranger HQ is on lockdown. This is not a drill. I repeat, all trainees go back to your dorms immediately. Ranger HQ is on lockdown. This is not a drill."

Jake's face blanches. I urgently him, "What's going on?" He picks up Wooper and then leaves the courtroom, saying "Follow me. I'll explain on the way. Julia and I follow him and he tells me, "The rangers have protocols regarding emergencies throughout the region or here. If it was region-wide, the trainees would just have a few days to a week of no classes. If it was here, however, all the trainees have to go to their dorms where it's safe while the rest of the rangers sort it out."

Julia turns down a hallway and leaves us, saying, "I'll see you later." After a few minutes, we get to a door where we swipes a card and the door unlocks.

Once we're inside, Jake sighs. "At least we're safe in here."

All of a sudden the doors flash red. Jake runs up to it and tries to open it, but it's locked. Another announcement comes over the PA. "Hello, trainees. Enjoying your time here? Being a ranger myself, it was just so easy to create an emergency that would get everyone else out of here, then initiate a lockdown and lock all of you in your dorms. Now I control Ranger HQ, which I'm sure has some things that my friends at Team Rocket would like. Have fun!"

 _Well, this just got really bad._ I ask Jake, "How does this even happen? Can't the other rangers do something? Also, what in the world does Team Rocket want with the Ranger HQ?"

He just shakes his head. "The building, while it doesn't look like it, is heavily fortified. Nothing short of a legendary pokémon would get in here. To answer your second question, the rangers are the only people in the whole region permitted to have capture styluses, which we use to befriend wild pokémon. Now if Team Rocket got their hands on those they could potentially use it to make technology that would allow them to capture any pokémon without pokéballs or other traps"

"Okay, then we need to get out of here. Can we just bust down the door?"

"Nope. The door's reinforced, and the lock's electronic. No forcing that."

"Wait. electronic lock, you said? Okay, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu just kind of looks at me with no sparks in his cheeks. "What?"

Jake just lies down on the bed. "All of the rooms have a power-restricting field. No pokémon can use their moves in here."

 _Well, there is one other option._ "Jake, can you keep a secret?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. But I don't know how that would get us out."

I charge a lightning bolt in my hands, which thankfully still works, and fire it at the door. It smokes, beeps a few times, then opens a tiny bit.

Jake sits up and stares at me wide-eyed. "Wh- what the…"

 _Now's not the time for explanations._ "Come on, let's go. I'll explain later."

I release Absol out in the hallway, and he immediately gets into a battle stance. "Absol, there's nobody here. But there is a problem, and I need you warn me if anything bad is going to happen. He nods but stays vigilant.

Jake tells me, "We should get Julia first. The more people the better."

"Alright, but what about all the other trainees?"

He scoffs. "They're too spoiled to do anything. Besides, they don't even have pokémon yet."

 _Okay, they're useless. I wonder why we're getting Julia then._ Regardless of what I'm thinking, I trust Jake, so I follow him down a few hallways with Eevee, Pikachu, and Absol behind us.

Jake suddenly stops in front of a door. "This is it." I tell Pikachu, "Thunderbolt it." The attack fizzles out the lock and Julia steps out, dumbfounded. "H… how did you guys get out?"

 _Now's not the time to be talking about all of this._ "It doesn't matter right now. Right now, we're the only people preventing Team Rocket from getting a whole lot of dangerous technology. Can you help us?

"Uh… yeah. G- Give me a second." She runs back into her room, then comes back out with a slightly bulkier-looking pokédex than mine. "This is my dad's, and he said to only ever use it in an emergency. I think this qualifies." She punches in a passcode, and a pokéball materializes.

"Lucario, I need your help!" A blue and black jackal with pointed spikes on its hands and chest appears. It seems to have almost an aura of power around it. Julia says, "Lucario, we need to stop whoever betrayed the Rangers and prevent Team Rocket from stealing ranger technology. Will you help?" This girl was completely different from the one I met in the courtyard. Calm and assertive, she seems like a completely different girl.

He looks directly at me, then nods. Jake speaks up. "We should probably find a way to let everyone back in. That's probably the easiest way to get a lot of help."

"Alright, seems like a plan." I turn to Jake and Julia. "You two know this place. Lead the way." With Lucario leading and my pokémon behind us, we make our way through the empty ranger base.

A/N Yeah... this one's going to be at least a two-parter. Until next time!


	19. Chapter 19 - Ranger Rescue (Part Two)

Kat's POV

Wandering the empty ranger base with our pokémon guarding us is giving me a creepy vibe. I mean, the place is completely empty and it's completely silent.

I ask Julia, "So, where are we headed? We need to somehow let the other rangers in."

Without breaking stride, she answers, "We need to cut the energy shield around the base. The easiest way to do that is to cut the power, which is in sub level B."

Jake stops for a moment in surprise, but then keeps walking. "Wait. I thought that there was only one sub-level to this place. Since when is there a secret basement?"

Julia laughs. "Do you really think that the rangers give the trainees all of the secrets to this place? No, when I decided to enroll my dad made sure that I knew every inch of this place. Seems like it came in handy."

* * *

After going down a flight of stairs to sub level A, Julia suddenly stops at a random wall, then presses a hidden panel which opens up another staircase.

"Welcome to sub level B. I don't know if whoever betrayed us knew about this place, but we can't be sure."

As we start cautiously walking through the hallways, red lights start flashing and gates start closing quickly. _Shoot._

Julia curses under her breath, then says, "The only way to the generator room is straight ahead. The gates are reinforced as well, so we can't break through them.

On instinct, I call out, "Eevee, Pikachu, use Quick Attack to squeeze through. You guys have to cut the power!"

They look at me for a second, and I encourage them, "Go." White trails appear behind them as they run through the rapidly closing gates behind them. _I hope they'll be okay._

Meanwhile, the gates are shut on both sides of us, so we're trapped.

Pikachu's POV

I feel absolutely horrible about having to leave Kat and the others, but I know that there was no other option. As Eevee and I squeeze through the last gate we get to a door. Eevee looks at me blankly.

"So, uh, how do we exactly open this?"

In response I jump up and slam the door with an Iron Tail, which knocks the door off of its hinges.

She just smiles. "That works!" and walks in.

 _Ugh. Seriously, even in a crisis she's still naive and carefree._

I follow her in and see a man calmly sitting in a chair near the weird machine that I assume is the generator. He stands up in surprise. "What the heck are you doing here? My orders were to prevent anyone from getting near this thing, i guess you count. Go Klinklang!"

Two floating conjoined gears with faces hover menacingly in front of us. _Okay, now I've seen everything._ Without waiting for anything I shoot a Thunderbolt at it, which does almost nothing.

Eevee runs straight into it with a Quick Attack, but it ends up hurting Eevee more than Klinklang as she essentially just ran into solid metal. Ouch.

The gear pokémon's trainer smirks. "Looks like you two won't be getting past me. Klinklang, Gear Grind!"

Without hesitating, both Eevee and I dodge out of the way with Quick Attack. Running close to Eevee, I whisper, "Eevee, use Dig, and get to the generator. Dig a big hole under it. Got it?"

She just smiles as always, saying "Sure!" and vanishing into the ground. The klinklang's trainer gasped in surprise. "Klinklang, find it!"

 _Not happening._ I launch another Thunderbolt at it. "Hey! Your battle's with me."

The gear pokémon narrows its eyes and charges me. It's on.

Kat's POV

"I hope Pikachu and Eevee are okay."

Jake puts a hand around me. "I'm sure they're fine. They're strong."

Julia speaks up. "He's right. We have to worry about getting out of here."

The gates around us are reinforced, and not even Lucario and Absol can break through. There isn't another way out, unless…

"Hey, why don't we break the ceiling? It should bring us up a level, right?"

Julia brightens up. "Yeah, that should work. Everyone back up, and Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

"Absol, Night Slash!"

The two combined attacks slice right through the ceiling and bring debris crashing down. When the dust settles, everyone looks okay and there's a way out.

Jake, still coughing a bit, asks, "So- *cough* how are we suppo- *cough* supposed to get out?"

Julia smirks. "Lucario? Could you take us up?"

He nods. "Cario, Lu." He then picks up a startled Jake and easily jumps to the next floor, then jumps back down.

I return Absol temporarily so Lucario can take me up next. Julia's last, and luckily there are no gates on this floor.

"Now what?" I ask Julia. She just calmly says, "We wait. Until Pikachu and Eevee can cut the power we're sitting ducks."

Pikachu's POV

 _Seriously, how long can it take for Eevee to dig a big hole?_ I continuously dodge attacks by Klinklang, to the point where the Klinklang's trainer gets really frustrated. And stupid, I might add.

"Klinklang, Lock On and Zap Cannon!"

The gear pokémon carefully aims at me, and fires. I make no move to dodge, instead opting to just wait. The Zap Cannon discharges straight into me without any damage thanks to my Lightning Rod ability.

"Argh, why didn't that work? Klinklang, Gear Grind!"

Once again Klinklang charges me, but this time I flip over him and Iron Tail him into the wall. He's still mostly hale, until I feel the ground shaking. Quickly I jump and use Iron Tail into the wall, which makes my tail hurt a _lot_ , but it keeps me above the massive sinkhole that suddenly appears, causing the trainer to fall down.

Eevee is still calmly digging around the wreckage of the generator and the knocked out trainer. She calls out to me, "Are you okay up there? I didn't know exactly where the generator was so I did a big area.

 _Well, it_ _kinda worked_. Looking around for my opponent, I see him near his trainer, not trying to stop us. I quietly tell Eevee, "Okay, let's get back to Kat and the others." Thankfully, the gates have retracted thanks to the power being out, and I light the way so that Eevee and I can find our way back up.

Kat's POV

All of a sudden, the lights go out. Julia shines a flashlight into the darkness. "Looks like your pokémon did it. Now let's let some people in. She points to a wall. "Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

"Absol, Night Slash!"

The wall crumbles under the force of the attacks, with sunlight streaming in. Startled, somebody pulls out a walkie-talkie and talks into it. He asks us. "How the heck did you guys manage to break through?"

Julia speaks up. "We cut the power, which cut the shields, then our pokémon destroyed this section of the wall."

The ranger's eyes narrow. "How did you know where the generator was? It's supposed to be a secret."

Still calm, she responds, "I'm Julia Anderson, the daughter of the leader of the Rangers. So yeah, he taught me a few secrets about this place before I enrolled."

He softens, "I had no idea Anderson enrolled his own daughter. Anyways, thanks for the help."

She just smiles. "He didn't, and you're welcome."

By now the rest of the rangers arrived at the hole in the wall, including Mike with his staraptor.

Behind us Pikachu and Eevee run up, panting. I crouch down and pet them, saying, "Great job you guys!" They jump to their usual positions on my shoulders as the ranger in front address us.

"Thanks for all of the help, but we'll take it from here. Get back to your dorms where it's safe."

 _What? Are you kidding me?_ This time I speak up. "No way! Without us you'd be stuck outside twiddling your thumbs! We're helping out."

Some rangers murmur to each other when Mike speaks up. "Hey, they let us in, they deserve to be part of this."

Finally the lead ranger concedes. "Fine. Just don't get in our way."

* * *

Unlike the trainee dorms and the basement, there are a few guards patrolling the dark halls. Luckily, with most of the ranger corp with us, the guards don't stand a chance. Numerous golbats, zubats, and rattatas fall to the rangers' Beedrill, Staraptor, Kadabra, and many other powerful pokémon that I don't recognize. Quickly we make it to the center of the building when suddenly all of the rangers and their pokémon are enveloped in electricity and are left gasping on the floor, unable to move.

That same voice over the PA says, "Did you really expect me not to be prepared? That's the ranger motto isn't it?" He chuckles darkly. "But no matter. Now the very tools that made you rangers now make you helpless against me. Long live Team Rocket!"

I hear footsteps, and Absol jumps into a shadowed part of the hallway, gesturing for the rest of us to follow. Not waiting for others to show up we join him just as Rocket goons take some weird top things off of the rangers. I hold my breath, scared that they would hear me.

When they finally leave we help the few conscious rangers to their feet, including Mike. He shakily says, "Damn it. They took the capture styluses." _That must be the top things and what Rocket's after._

Jake stammers, "So… now what do we do?"

Mike coughs, then responds fiercely. "The Rockets may have taken our capture styluses, but that's not why we're rangers. We're rangers because of our bonds with our pokémon that aren't bound to pokéballs. We can still stop them."

I rummage through my bag and find a few potions and berries. I hand them to Mike, saying, "I know it's not much, but it should help."

He smiles. "It actually helps a lot. Feeding a berry to Staraptor, the bird perks up with a loud "Starrr!" Between Jake, Julia, and me, we barely had enough medical supplies to get most of the rangers up on their feet.

"Now, we won't be able to stop whoever did this, but we will be able to create a diversion. Just sneak past us and stop whoever caused this." He turns to the other rangers. "Everyone with me?"

There was a resounding "YEAH!" as they charged towards the center.

When we get to a heavily barricaded door I tell Julia and Jake to stay close as the rangers' pokémon start busting down the door. Quickly as the rangers rush in pandemonium ensues. The Rockets were ready but the rangers weren't going to give up. In the resulting battles we slip through, aiming for the back of the room.

We almost make it to the door but suddenly a slash of wind just misses my face and makes me stop. A gruff voice calls out, "Hey, where ya headed kiddos? Don't tell me you just thought you could waltz right through those doors, huh?"

Julia whispers to us, "I got this. Go.", then commands "Bullet Punch!"

Lucario becomes a blur as it nails a smaller yet faster pokémon similar to golbat. _Probably an evolution or something_.

I grab Jake's hand. I tell him, "Come on," and drag him through the room past everyone else.

As we burst through the back door (which thankfully wasn't barricaded), there's a man calmly sitting at a desk, not doing anything. What was weird was that he has no pokémon out at all. _If this was the head of this whole thing, then why doesn't he have any pokémon out to protect himself?_

Absol suddenly tackles me out of the way as weird bandages suddenly shoot out of the darkness, wrapping around where I was a few seconds ago. Pikachu and Eevee are not as lucky as they are trapped and can't seem to break free.

Absol immediately jumps to the left as the bandages shoot out from the shadows but was unable to dodge more as they wrap around him too, preventing him from using his horn to slash at them. While I was worrying about my pokémon I didn't notice that the bandages were right next to me, and soon my arms and legs are tied; I couldn't move. Next to me I see that Jake is tied up similarly.

A mummy-like pokémon emerges from the shadows, its bandages wrapped around all of us, grinning creepily. All the while, the man in the chair is just sitting there calmly. "I see you've met Cofagrigus. An unusual partner pokémon, since it's rumored to eat humans, but still a loyal friend. He looks at me closer while I try to break free, but to no avail. "I'm impressed. I expected the rangers to get in here, not a little girl."

Pikachu instinctively uses Thunderbolt to try to shock the bandages, but they don't let go. Instead, I feel a burning pain as his attack somehow travels through the bandages to all of us. The man laughs.

"While Cofagrigus can handle your Pikachu's shock for a while, I'm not sure how long you can. So go ahead, keep trying."

Still struggling, I ask him, "What do you want? I thought you were a ranger."

He laughs bitterly. "That's right, I was a ranger. I gave an oath to protect humans and pokémon alike. But the ranger corp can't do that. They're too weak and powerless compared to the G-men, which act under the Pokémon League Board. There are still too many trainers out there who abuse their pokémon and treat them like animals."

 _Wait, what?_ "But, then why work with Team Rocket? They're the ones who are abusing and hurting other pokémon."

Still wearing that Cheshire cat smile (which is really getting on my nerves), he responds, "Team Rocket is just a means to an end. When their purpose is fulfilled, they'll be punished along with the rest of the trainers."

 _Man, this guy is crazy_. "So what about all of the people who treat their pokémon like friends and family?"

"Those who side with the traitors must be punished. I can tell your bond with your pokémon is strong, but if you think that the Pokémon League Board is right, then you are already lost."

 _Great. Now both me and my pokémon are stuck. So now what?_

A/N So, I planned for this arc to only be two chapters, but then I wrote around 2500 words and realized I wasn't even close, so three chapters it is. If there's anything you guys want to say to me, feel free to review below. Seriously, everything helps. Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20 - Ranger Rescue (Part Three)

A/N Well, I'm back with another chapter! Unfortunately, my beta reader has been "a piece of human sh*t" (his words, not mine) so he hasn't beta read it yet... if there's anything you guys want to say to me to improve my writing please let me know! Every little thing helps. Thanks!

Kat's POV

 _I just need to catch that mummy by surprise._ Jake is putting on a brave face, but his voice wavers slightly. "Wh- what are you going to do to us?"

The man frowns. "Well, while I am against hurting kids, there isn't another way. Cofagrig-

"Dark Pulse!"

A wave of darkness flies from the doorway and slams into the mummy, letting everybody go. Immediately Pikachu and Absol attack cofagrigus sending it crashing against the wall.

"Sorry I'm late." Julia says as she and Lucario enter the room.

The leader scowls. Pulling out more pokéballs, he calls out, "Pangoro, Raticate!"

A menacing-looking panda and a raticate appear, ready to battle. Cofagrigus joins them, while Pikachu, Absol, Eevee, and Lucario line up in front of us. Although, one pokémon is missing.

"Uh, Jake? Don't you want to send out Wooper?"

He looks at the ground. "Why? He can't battle like your pokémon."

 _Now is not the time for confidence issues._ "Come on Jake, what happened to you? What happened to the Jake who was going to become a ranger?"

Julia speaks up too. "Yeah, come on Jake, you wouldn't have gotten this far without having some strength."

A spark appears in his eyes. _Finally._ "Let's go, Wooper!" The energetic blue pokémon appears, ready for battle. _Apparently pokémon can see the outside world in their pokéballs. Might be useful later on._

The leader scoffs. "Do you really think that you kids stand a chance? Raticate, Hyper Fang. Pangoro, Hammer Arm. cofagrigus, Shadow Ball!"

As Pangoro and Raticate charge our pokémon, Cofagrigus stands in the back, charging up a shadowy blob.

Quickly everyone starts calling out attacks. "Aura Sphere!" "Eevee, Quick Attack! Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Absol, Slash!" "Water Gun!"

While Lucario, Eevee, and Absol attack the charging pokémon, Pikachu and Wooper launch attacks towards cofagrigus. The attacks collide and cause a dust cloud. _Seriously, how often does this happen? I seriously need to get a flying type or something._

When the smoke clears, I see that although we have numbers, this guy's pokémon are no joke. The collision sent Eevee and Absol backwards, while none of his pokémon had a scratch on them.

"Pangoro! Raticate! Target the Pikachu!" Both start charging surprisingly quickly after Pikachu, who immediately uses Quick Attack to move out of the way.

"Eevee, Absol, attack Raticate!"

Eevee intercepts Raticate first, stunning it slightly only for Absol to send it flying with a Psycho Cut. However, the stupid rat gets up and barely looks hurt, instead baring its fangs at us.

Pangoro is similarly blasted into a wall by Lucario and Wooper, but gets up as if nothing happened.

 _Ugh, why won't they just stay down?_ _How in the world do we stop them?_

While I was thinking, I didn't notice Cofagrigus trap Pikachu in its bandages, leaving him wide open for Pangoro and Raticate to attack.

 _Come on, Kat, Focus!_ "Pikachu, Thunderbolt the bandages!"

Cofagrigus lights up as Pikachu discharges electricity straight into him. The mummy pokémon howls in pain and lets him go just as Pangoro and Raticate attack, causing them to hit Cofagrigus instead of Pikachu.

"Aargh. Why can't we beat these damn kids?!" _Well, that's good. We're frustrating him, and he'll slip up._

Lucario sends an Aura Sphere straight into Raticate, and Wooper and Absol team up to knock down Pangoro. They still get up, although slower than last time. "Alright guys, keep it up. They're getting tired."

Unfortunately, so are our pokémon. Absol, Lucario, and Eevee look a bit winded, and Pikachu and Wooper look downright tired. _Come on, we can do this._

"ENOUGH! Everyone, attack the trainers!" Before any of our pokémon could react, Pangoro and Raticate charge us while Cofagrigus charges up another Shadow Ball.

 _Aw crap. I hope nobody notices this._ Using Quick Attack (yes, I finally figured out that's what it was) I grab Jake and Julia and pull them past the charging pokémon. Then before anyone can realize what I did I launch a Thunderbolt at Cofagrigus, blowing the Shadow Ball he was charging up in his face.

Our pokémon capitalize on the advantage and all volley attacks on the two very confused pokémon, causing them to slam into the wall and slide down, unconscious. Julia looks at me, eyes wide. "How… How did you-"

"Kat! Help!" I turn and see Cofagrigus is holding Jake in its ghostly bandages, with the former ranger's eyes gleaming. "I told you about Cofagrigus's reputation of eating humans, right? Well, there's a reason behind that. Cofagrigus's coffin begins to open, a ghostly black void inside.

 _None of our pokémon are fast enough, unless…_ "Absol, Sucker Punch!"

Absol blurs out of existence and appears right next to Cofagrigus, slamming into it coated with dark energy. Cofagrigus cries out in pain and falls down, fainted.

Lucario charges an Aura Sphere threateningly as we confront the former ranger. Julia speaks up. "It's over Sam. Your plan is done, the rangers are inside, and I'm sure the G-men will get here any minute.

He recalls his pokémon and sighs. "You know, I really hoped it didn't have to come to this." He pulls out another pokéball and calls out, "Beheeyem, Teleport!" Before any of us could do anything, a pink pokémon with lights on its hands appears, then teleports both of them away.

Julia sighs. "Dang it, I thought we had him." _Yeah, that sucks._ I ask her, "So, do you know who was that guy?"

She frowns. "Yeah. He used to be Dad's partner, up until a few months ago when he was benched for disorderly conduct or something. What I'm more concerned about is how he got so many rangers to follow him."

I think back to what he was saying. " _I was a ranger. I gave an oath to protect humans and pokémon alike. But the ranger corp can't do that. They're too weak and powerless compared to the G-men, which act under the Pokémon League Board."_ _Maybe there's some truth to that._ "Hey, before you showed up he was talking about the rangers not having enough power compared to the G-men or the Pokémon League. Do you know anything about that?"

She thinks for a bit, then says, "Yeah, I think I remember Dad saying something about that earlier. I think he said something about Silph Co. being corrupt and funding the Pokémon League over us since they can bribe the League."

 _Wow. I never thought that even the Pokémon League would be so filled with politics._ "So was Sam right then? I mean, not siding with the Rockets obviously, but the idea?"

"I… I guess so. Dad just said to keep doing the right thing and things will work out in the end."

The doors burst open as Mike bursts in with a tired but proud Staraptor by his side. "I've come to he- what? What happened in here? Was anyone else even in here?"

I tell him, "Uh, yeah, some guy named Sam with a cofagrigus, a pangoro, and a raticate was in here, but he teleported away before we could do anything."

He frowns. "That's unfortunate. But at least all the rogue rangers and Rockets outside are taken care of, and we recovered all of our capture styluses." He then smiles. "I never got a chance to say this, but thanks a lot. If it weren't for you guys, we'd all be sitting ducks and the Rockets would have gotten our tech. I know Kat and Julia, but what's your name young man?"

Jake looks up from where he was giving Wooper a berry. "Huh? Uh, J- Jake"

Mike walks over to Jake and looks at Wooper. "I can tell you've been taking great care of him." He looks around and nods. "All of you. Trainer or ranger, anyone can have a bond with their pokémon."

Jake looks down sadly. In confusion, Mike asks, "Hey, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

Blinking away tears, Jake says, "Bu- but how can I be taking care of him if he's not strong to protect himself? How could I be a ranger if I can't protect anyone?"

Mike blinks. "Where in the world did you get that idea? First, your Wooper battled against three trained ranger pokémon. Even with help, that's no easy feat. Second, strength isn't a requirement to be a ranger. As long as you have a good heart and work hard, the strength will come."

Jake is silent for a few moments, then stands up. "Thanks. I guess I needed to remind myself that having a bond with my pokémon is more important than strength."

Mike smiles. "Glad to hear it."

I had a question for Jake. "I'm glad you're over it, but when did you get it into your head that you needed to be strong to be a ranger? You didn't have a problem with it the last time I saw you."

"Well, the other trainees who didn't have pokémon of their own decided that it would be fun to pick on Wooper and me. They threatened to hurt him, or break his pokéball, or beat me up, and I was too powerless to stop them. It also didn't help that in Cerulean we got demolished by the Rockets."

Mike scowls. "That shouldn't happen. I'm going to have a word with these trainees, as well as find some way to better supervise them." With that he leaves.

As soon as he leaves the room, Jake asks me, "Okay, come on. Explain everything." I look at Julia a little awkwardly. _Do I want to tell her too?_ Jake noticed and assured me, "Don't worry, you can trust her. She can keep a secret and she's helped us out a lot."

I take a deep breath. "Okay, right after I started my pokémon journey strange things started happening. I was able to somehow run away from Rocket grunts with pokémon and they didn't stop me. A swarm of beedrill that should have killed me just suddenly left after being shocked, but Pikachu was unconscious. Eventually, I learned that I can do this." I charge a Thunderbolt in my hand, and both Julia and Jake stare in awe.

Julia speaks up first. "Ookay then, that explains how you got out of the dorms. Also, that's really cool. Do you know how this happened?"

 _I don't think I want to reveal my knowledge about Arceus just yet, I feel like he doesn't want to be known._ "Uh, I don't know. It kind of just happened. Although, there are still some things I don't fully understand yet. At one point I actually heard my pokémon talk in English, although it didn't happen again, and another time I saw into one of my pokémon's memories."

Julia's eyes widen. "Wow, if you could figure out how to understand your pokémon that would be amazing."

Jake suddenly asks me, "Hey Kat, do you mind if I keep travelling with you? I think I'll learn more exploring than cooped up in here with the snobs."

Maybe a little too excitedly, I say, "Yeah, sure! It'll be nice travelling with you again."

Julia interjects, "Hey, do you mind another tag-a-long? I think it'll be good to explore the region. Where are you headed next?"

 _I wasn't expecting Julia to come along too, but I'm sure it'll be fine._ "Well first I have to beat the gym here in Vermillion, and then to Celadon."

The lights suddenly turn on throughout the building. Julia says, "I guess they got the generator fixed. Let's head outside."

We follow her out when she suddenly stops in front of someone, and Jake and I almost bump into her. "D- Dad? What are you doing here?"

Julia's father turns around and smiles. "Julia! It's good to see you again. Once I heard of rangers betraying us, I came as soon as possible. Although when I got here it seems that everything is already taken care of." Looking at Jake and I, he asks, "And who are your friends? I assume they helped take care of the situation?"

"I'm Jake, a ranger trainee."

"My name's Kat. Nice to meet you, Mr. Anderson."

"Nice to meet you too. Well, I have to run off again. See you soon!"

"Wait! Dad, do you mind if Jake and I travel with Kat? We would keep up with our ranger studies and keep learning."

He thinks for a bit, then responds, "I don't see why not." He bends down to whisper to us. "Personally, I think that the trainee school is filled with slobs who don't really get what it means to be a ranger. I think the two of you have what it takes, and there's no better way to learn than exploring the region. Have fun!"

He then runs off to help out some other rangers try and clean up the building after what just happened.

Jake breaks the silence. "So… where to next?"

I look at the sky and see that the sun is setting. My stomach grumbles loudly, and I blush. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm kinda hungry. The gym can wait until tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Julia says, then exclaims, "Oh shoot! I have to get a pokémon. Lucario's not technically mine. Can you guys wait for a sec?"

"Yeah sure, no problem." _It's going to be interesting with two more travelling partners. I just hope that I don't run into as much trouble, although with my track record that's not very likely._

Jake asks, "So, I never really got to meet that Absol of yours. Do you mind if I see him?" _Oh yeah, he wasn't there when he woke up._ I let Absol out and he lies on the ground, not sensing any danger nearby.

"Hey, fella, how's it going?" Jake's question makes Absol turn towards him and stand alert. Jake flinches but I don't think Absol notices. I rub his back, saying, "Absol, don't worry. This is Jake, a friend of mine. He's going to be travelling with us for a little while." Absol walks over to him and lies down, relaxing.

"So, how did Absol, you know…"

"Become blind? Well, as far as I can tell from a weird vision, his former trainer ordered him to attack a beedrill nest which didn't go too well. The trainer just left him to die in the forest."

Jake stutters out, "I… I'm so sorry. That's awful."

I smile. "I know Absol didn't have a very pleasant past, but that's in the past. Let's focus on the future." _Three badges down, two new travelling partners, three pokémon, and more adventure to come._


	21. Chapter 21 - Back on Track

A/N My beta reader is still being a butt, so no editing on this one :( Regardless, I'm still going to write this story. If you guys have any comments or criticisms, just let me know!

Kat's POV

Well, with the ranger fiasco finally over I can challenge the gym tomorrow. Right now I'm eating in the pokémon center with Jake and Julia, with all of our pokémon out. Julia and her dad agreed that Lucario would travel with us until she caught her own pokémon. Which was fine by me, since Absol and Lucario seem to get along.

"So, what's your plan for the Vermillion Gym? I heard that his pokémon are really strong, particularly his raichu."

 _Raichu, huh? Pikachu might want to take that one._ "If it's a two-on-two, I think I'll use Pikachu and Eevee. Pikachu has Lightning Rod and Eevee knows Dig."

Jake nods. "That seems like a good idea. Well, I'm going to head off to bed. See ya!" He picks up the practically sleeping Wooper and goes up to his room. Julia and I are going to share a room, which is going to be new for me.

I look outside and see that it's pitch-black out. I let out a yawn, and tell Julia, "Yeah, I'm going to head up too. You coming?"

She looks out into the night. "No thanks. I'll be up in a minute. There's just a few things I want to think about."

"Okay." Another yawn escapes my lips. _Man, I must be really tired. It's been a long day._ "Good night." As soon as I get to the room I quickly shower and fall asleep in the warm, comfortable bed.'

* * *

As the sunlight streams in the room in the pokémon center, I slowly blink awake. I turn and see Eevee and Pikachu snoozing next to me and Absol on the rug. Julia's in the bed next to me and Lucario is nowhere to be seen. _Oh crap? Where is he? Did someone take him or something?_

I quickly wake my pokémon, return Absol, and run outside looking for the jackal pokémon.

As soon as I step outside I see Lucario on the battlefield near the pokémon center doing some sort of martial arts technique. Pikachu looks at me annoyed, cranky after I rudely woke him up.

"Whoops, I guess he's alright. Sorry about that. But since you're up, why don't we grab some breakfast and start training?"

* * *

After a quick breakfast, I get my pokémon training. I told Eevee to practice using Dig on PIkachu, who would dodge and try to hit her with a weak Thunderbolt. This way Eevee can deal with hitting a fast opponent, and Pikachu would have to dodge an equally fast opponent. Absol ends up having a light spar with Lucario, which seems a lot more graceful than what Eevee and Pikachu are doing.

"Vee! Eevee!" I look over and see a tired and annoyed Eevee sitting in a literal sinkhole while Pikachu is resting on a tree, just as tired. _Yeah, maybe I should work on control. Spamming Dig seems effective, but it takes too much out of her._ Eevee did have a few minor sparks coming off of her fur, but nothing too serious.

Before long Julia comes out and witnesses what is left of a small grassy field. "Geez Kat! What did you make your pokémon do?"

I laugh, which confuses her. "Lesson learned. Never tell Eevee to practice Dig without supervision. I think the sinkhole speaks for itself."

She just stares at Eevee's work as a deer-like pokémon walks out of the forest, then freezes when it sees the sinkhole. _Uh oh. I really hope it's not mad that I practically destroyed this field_.

The deer tapped its hoof on the grass near the sinkhole, and green tendrils of energy spread out and somehow fix the field. It's as if Eevee's training never happened. Then, all of a sudden, to my surprise, the deer started to laugh. _Huh? Shouldn't the deer be mad?_

A moment later, the deer suddenly glowed briefly, then transformed into a pink cat that floated in front of us. _No way. It's the pokémon from my first dream!_ Julia just stands there frozen in shock.

A mental cheery voice enters my head, and from the looks of it Julia can hear it too. " _Hello! Hope you don't mind I crashed your training, but it looked like the field could have used a bit of help. Just don't keep destroying fields and forests and stuff, okay? Don't need to get Shaymin and Celebi mad. Toodles!"_ There is a flash and the pink cat is gone.

Julia is still for a moment or two, and I ask, "Hey, Julia, you okay?" She turns to me and says, "That was Mew. I can't believe we saw freaking Mew!"

 _Mew. Makes sense, considering that it looks like Mewtwo._ I rub the back of my head. "Well, this technically isn't the first time I've seen Mew. The night before I started my pokémon journey I had a dream with Mew in it."

"Whoa. What happened in your dream?"

 _I'm not sure that Arceus wants to be revealed just yet, although Mew has._ "Not much. Just Mew floating around, then I woke up."

"Huh." A high pitch scream echoes through the forest. Julia and I look at each other and call back our pokémon and take off towards the voice.

We find Rocket grunts menacing a young girl with a pidgey and an injured spearow. _Wait! I know that spearow!_ The grunt has a larger version of ekans out who is eyeing the two bird pokémon creepily.

Instinctively I command my pokémon while Julia does the same. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" "Lucario, Aura Sphere!" The combined attacks knock out the snake, and the grunt looks at us, scowls, and runs off after returning his pokémon.

Julia goes to comfort the girl and her pidgey while I gingerly pick up the spearow. It's wing is badly injured, and from the looks of it it's poisoned. It needs to get to a pokémon center, and fast.

I tell Julia, "Go make sure that she gets back to her family. I have to run to the pokémon center." She looks at the injured spearow and nods. Without waiting for anyone I use Quick Attack to get back to the pokémon center.

I burst through the doors with the injured spearow and Nurse Joy sighs. "I really wish Surge would take it easy on these trainers."

 _What? The gym leader is constantly hurting pokémon this badly? Wait, I have more pressing matters._ "Nurse Joy, this isn't my spearow. It was protecting a little girl from Team Rocket but was injured. I came as soon as I could."

She quickly calls over a chansey, who takes the poor bird. After a few minutes Nurse Joy comes out. "The spearow will be fine, although it won't be able to fly for a couple of days."

I sit down in a nearby chair, pretty tired after running so quickly. _Okay. At least I know that he's going to be okay._ Pikachu and Eevee hop up on my lap. Wait… _Oh crap, Absol doesn't know Quick Attack and there's no way he'd be able to find his way here._

Julia walks in with Jake, Lucario, and thankfully Absol. _I don't know why I'm so worried about Absol. He can take care of himself._ After they sit down next to me, I ask, "Hey Jake, when did you get up?"

He smiles, which for some reason creates an unknown warm feeling in my chest. "Kat, I got up before Lucario did. I wanted to get a bit of training in before your gym battle." Lightheartedly, he says, "Anyways, what is it with you and finding injured pokémon? Are you just like a hero or something? You'd make a better ranger than most of the snobs in the school."

"Th- thanks." _Why am I stuttering? It's not like anything's wrong, so why am I so nervous?_ "I don't know, it kind of just happens. I'm surprised that more people don't bring in more injured pokémon since Team Rocket is running around."

He frowns. "Well, I think that some do. But there is the reality that there are a lot of cruel trainers who don't care about the well-being of pokémon in general. There's a reason why Team Rocket exists."

Julia puts a hand on my shoulder. "You can't protect every pokémon in the world. You just have to keep doing what you're doing and help out the ones you do find."

Nurse Joy walks in with Chansey behind pushing a small cart with Spearow on it. Pikachu and Eevee say "Pika!' and "Vee!" for hello, and Spearow relaxes. I walk over to him, but he flinches away from me. I reassure him, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You're safe."

I slowly stretch out my hand to pet the nervous bird, and as soon as I make contact I'm suddenly moved to a forest. _Wait, this place seems familiar. Where was this… that's right, it's Viridian Forest! But why would I be here?_

Suddenly A spider web whizzes through me (which is quite unnerving) and captures a spearow. Not the one that's been following me, but a different one. Suddenly more spearow and a tough-looking fearow swoop down and quickly tear a hole in the net so the trapped spearow can fly out. Multiple pokémon with Rocket grunts behind them start launching attacks at the family, who all dodge and counterattack with Steel Wings, Wing Attacks, and the Fearow shrouds himself in blue fire, charging through the Rocket pokémon.

However, there are just too many pokémon. One by one the spearow were getting weaker, and some were caught with pokéballs. The spearow I just saved was about to be caught, but the fearow intercepted it and knocked him into a bush, undetected by the Rockets.

I could feel Spearow's fear and anxiety as one by one his family (I'm assuming here, since they worked so well together) is caught by the Rockets. Once the last spearow is caught, the Rockets leave, leaving a tired and scared Spearow alone in the forest.

Just like with Absol, I'm suddenly back in the pokémon center, with Spearow looking at me. Tearing up from what I just saw, I carefully hug him, avoiding his injured wing, and whisper to him, "I'm so sorry for what happened to your family. I promise, I'm going to find them and get them back."

Spearow initially stares at me in surprise, but soon breaks down crying. I gently pet him, softly saying, "It's okay. You're not alone anymore."

Nurse Joy and Chansey just look at me weirdly before leaving, but Jake and Julia ask each other, "What just happened?"

I turn to them, letting Spearow talk to Eevee, Absol, and Pikachu. "When I touched Spearow, I could see a glimpse into his past. His entire family was captured by Rockets and he couldn't do anything. I think that's why he's been following me since I left Cerulean."

Jake scowls. "Those bastards. Trust me, we're going to find them and make the Rockets pay."

 _There's one thing left for me to do._ I pull out a pokéball and walk over to Spearow. "Hey, I know that you want to find your family, but in the meantime why don't you travel with us? This way you won't have to keep following us hidden."

He looks to Pikachu, who nods. He gently taps the button and the pokéball captures him quickly. I let him back out and he looks at me with tears in his eyes. "Thank you."

 _What? Did I hear him right?_ "You're welcome." "Spear. Spearow?" _Aww, I guess it's still kinda iffy. But at least I can sometimes understand my pokémon, right?_

Calling the rest of my pokémon over, I tell them, "So today we're going to be challenging the gym leader here, who apparently uses electric types. So if it's a two on two I'm going with Pikachu and Eevee, then Absol in reserve if it's a three on three. If it's a four on four I won't battle until Spearow's fully healed. Apparently the gym leader has a habit of badly hurting pokémon, but that doesn't scare me and it shouldn't scare you. Sound good?"

"Vee!" "Pika!" "Sol!" "Spear!" "Alright guys let's do this!"


	22. Chapter 22 - Shocking Showdown!

A/N Hey guys, another chapter here! My beta reader (and I) have been swamped with work recently, so he might not be able to make suggestions for a little while. In the meanwhile, I have no idea whether or not my story still makes sense to other people. If you have any criticisms or suggestions, review below. Thanks!

Kat's POV

 _I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's just another gym battle. I've already gotten three gym badges, and my pokémon are ready. Just take deep breaths, and stay cool._

I walk into the gym, prepared for any surprises. Thankfully, there are none. It's just a very tall and intimidating man (who I assume is the gym leader) standing at the end of an earthy battleground. As I walk in, he says (more like shouts) something to me.

"So, you're the next challenger, huh? With an Eevee and a Pikachu? Hah! Nice baby pokémon for a baby trainer." _Alright, I have no idea what this guy's problem is, but I'm going to prove to him that I'm not a baby. And the first way to do that is to not be provoked._

Cooly I respond, "Yes, I am. And a pokémon's strength is not determined by size. Are we going to have a gym battle or not?"

To my surprise, he smiles. "You got fire in ya, kid, I like it. I'm Lieutenant Surge, and this'll be a three on three battle. Now let's see how you deal with the overwhelming power of Voltorb!"

 _Alright, three on three. I guess Absol's in. Now who to choose…_ _Well, let's go with Eevee first. I'd like to save Pikachu's Lightning Rod, and I want to keep Absol in reserve._

"Are you going to stand there all day or choose a pokémon?" Surge catcalls over to me. I turn to Eevee and nod. She casually (which is weird. Normally she's jumping all over the place) walks out on the battlefield and stares down the pokéball-like pokémon, ready to battle.

Quickly Surge calls out, "Voltorb, Thundershock!" Luckily Eevee has been in enough battles to know to automatically use Quick Attack to get away. Before Voltorb can get another attack off, I tell Eevee, "Dig!"

As Eevee disappears underneath the earth of the battlefield, Surge smiles. "Magnet Rise." Voltorb kind of just floats in the air. He laughs. "Do you think that you're the first trainer to come after me with ground-type moves? Have fun trying to hit Voltorb up there."

 _Shoot. Wait._ I remember back to my gym battle with Sabrina. _That might just work_. "Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

I hear Surge's confused "Shadow What!?" just before the arena explodes and large dust cloud forms. Although I can't see anything, I hope Eevee can at least hear me. "Eevee, Tackle!"

There's the sound of an impact in the dust, and I can only hope that Eevee was able to find him. When the dust settles, Voltorb is seen unconscious in a crater with Eevee, tired but still standing.

Surge whistles. "Damn girl, I didn't know you had that in you." He pulls a pokéball off of his belt. "Golem, I need some help."

The golem Surge calls out definitely does not look like I was expecting. Instead of the boulder pokémon I'm used to, this golem had a beard and some weird black thing sticking out of its back.

Seeing my confusion, Surge explains, "Golem's an old friend from Alola, somewhere near where I was born. She's a rock and electric type, but I'm not using her in the gym battle. She is, however, useful for fixing the battleground for whenever trainers dig it all up with ground type moves."

Golem throws some earth into the crater, then moves towards the edge of the battlefield and stomps. Ripples move across the battlefield as the surface is suddenly made smooth.

Returning Golem, Surge smirks. "So, ready for the next battle? Go Electabuzz!"

A humanoid black and yellow pokémon appears. I look towards Eevee, who has a fire I've never seen before in her eyes. "Yep! Eevee, Quick Attack!"

It doesn't catch Surge off guard, however. "Thunderpunch!" Eevee and Electabuzz's fist collide, and Eevee definitely gets the worse end of it. She tumbles backwards, but gets back up, determined.

 _Oh my gosh. Electabuzz can't float._ "Eevee, Dig!"

Quick as a flash Eevee vanishes, and Surge gets a bit worried. He tells Electabuzz, "When she pops out, Thunderpunch her"

Eevee pops out underneath Electabuzz and deals some damage, but he catches her with a well timed Thunderpunch sending her flying. She lands hard near me, but doesn't get up.

Eevee's POV

Darkness surrounded me. I think I got knocked out by that last Thunderpunch when all of a sudden I can feel a power in my soul. I'm afraid to embrace it, because I know what that means. It means that I will lose… lose the one pokémon that loved me before I met Kat.

All of a sudden that pokémon, my mom, walks out of the darkness. "What? Mom, how could you be here?"

She smiles sadly. "You have to go, my daughter. You can't hide in here forever. You have to grow up."

Tears form in my eyes at the prospect of losing her again. "No! I- I can't…"

My mother's voice grows more stern and her gem flashes. "Eevee! You will not lose me if you evolve." Her eyes soften again. "I will always be with you in your heart. Come on, your friends are waiting."

 _Alright, I'll do it._ I close my eyes and embrace that spark of power, letting it grow throughout me. I feel a tingly sensation, and when it's done I open my eyes. My mother is still there, except… it's… not... her. I move a paw, and the new pink cat in front of me moves her paw as well. My mom's words echo in my head. " _I will always be with you in your heart."_ _Huh, she was right in more ways than one_. Then the world started turning white.

Kat's POV

Surge tells me, "Your Eevee is done. Return her."

But there's something off. I don't know how, but I can tell that Eevee can still battle. I don't know why, but that feeling is there.

Suddenly she starts glowing. _What in the world is this?_ I hear Surge mutter, "No way."

When the light clears, Eevee is not there anymore. A pink cat, almost exactly the one Eevee turned into in my mind, is standing with an aura of power surrounding her. Quickly I take the pokédex and scan her.

"Espeon. The sun pokémon, and the evolved form of Eevee. Espeon is extremely loyal to any trainer it considers to be worthy. It is said that this Pokémon developed its precognitive powers to protect its trainer from harm."

 _So, I guess she's a psychic type now?_

" _That's right. Now, let's win this gym battle."_

I flinch at hearing Ee- Espeon's voice in my head, but shake it off quickly. I look at my pokédex and see that she learned a move or two from her evolution.

Surge just nods appreciatively. "Since this clearly isn't over yet, let's get the battle started. Electabuzz, Shockwave!"

A ring of electricity spans outwards, and I have no idea what to do. Luckily, Espeon does and the ring somehow just bends around her. _How did she do that?_

" _Using Psychic as a shield. I think I saw my mom do that once or twice."_

 _Oh, so that would explain it. Espeon's mom was an espeon, so it makes sense that Eevee would want to evolve into that._

" _Yes she was. But can we focus on the battle at hand please?"_

 _Oh right._ Electabuzz is charging in with another Thunderpunch and I'm here mentally chatting with my pokémon. I call out, "Psychic!"

Electabuzz is stopped in his tracks and thrown across the stadium. With the damage from the initial battle, thankfully this knocks Electabuzz out.

Surge quietly returns Electabuzz, saying, "Not many trainers have gotten this far, but few still are able to compete with the sheer power of my partner during the war. Go Raichu!"

An orange electric mouse the (I'm pretty sure) evolved form of Pikachu. I tell Espeon, "Hey, why don't you come back for now. I know you're having fun, but let Pikachu have his turn."

Raichu's eyes narrow as Pikachu hesitantly steps onto the battlefield. _Why is Pikachu so nervous now? I know he's been shy about battling in the past, but I thought he was okay?_

" _Maybe you should ask? I'm pretty sure there's a lot about Pikachu and Absol that you don't know. Hint hint"_

 _You know, maybe having a psychic pokémon in my head all the time isn't the best thing ever._

Espeon is silent, but I can feel essentially a psychic pout. Oh well. There's a battle to focus on.

Surge makes the first move this time. "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

The bolt of lightning hits Pikachu and surprisingly throws him backwards. From the looks of it he's surprised as well. Surge smirks. "Betting on Lightning Rod? My Raichu can output a lot more voltage than your Pikachu can handle, so I'll be able to shock you. Again!"

"Quick Attack!" Pikachu nimbly dodges around the Thunderbolt and waits for my next order. Raichu turns around to fire another one, and Pikachu has to use Quick Attack again to dodge it. _Wait, that's it! Raichu's too slow!_ "Pikachu, Agility!"

Pikachu speeds up to blur around the stadium, dodging Raichu's sporadic Thunderbolts. Surge suddenly mixes it up and tells Raichu, "Mega Punch!"

Intercepting Pikachu, Raichu manages to launch Pikachu against the wall, and he get's up much shakier. _Pikachu can't handle much more of this. This isn't going to work._

I call out, "Pikachu, return. This isn't your fight." Relieved, he comes over to my side of the battlefield, and I unclip a pokéball from my belt.

"Alright Absol, you're up!" Absol materializes on the battlefield, ready. Surge and Raichu are taken aback at Absol's appearance, and Surge frowns. "You know, I've been through a war and seen hell, but it's still sad to see a pokémon abused that way. Don't worry, I know it's not you. Some heartless trainer used him ages ago, and it's hard to forget a battle like that. He didn't care about the health of his Absol, evident by the new scars."

Both he and Raichu ready themselves for the battle. "That doesn't mean that we're going to take it easy on you. Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

I tell Absol, "Use your danger sense to dodge, and use Night Slash!" The bolt of lightning comes flying in but Absol manages to sidestep the attack and send his own towards Raichu. Caught off-guard, the dark blade connects and sends Raichu flying backwards.

Raichu gets up, however, before Surge commands, "Mega Punch!" In response, I tell Absol, "Meet it with Slash!"

The two attacks connect, but Absol is overpowered and thrown backwards. He rolls a few times but eventually gets up on his feet.

"Thunderbolt!"

 _Not this time._ "Absol, Sucker Punch!" Absol vanishes and reappears right next to Raichu, slamming him across the battlefield. "Now follow up with Night Slash!" The attack hits home, and when the dust clears, Raichu is unconscious.

Surge smiles and returns Raichu while I pat Absol before returning him. "I haven't had a good battle like that in a long time. Here, catch." I look up and catch a simple gold eight-pointed star with an orange core. "The Thunder Badge. You've definitely earned it. Give me one second." He quickly disappears into a back room. _What was that about?_

He comes back out a minute later and outstretches his hand holding a green and yellow stone. Pikachu stares at the rock, which looks pretty but I don't see a practical use for it. Hesitantly I take it. "Thanks, but what exactly is this?"

"It's a thunderstone. Your Pikachu could use it to evolve to get some more power into his attacks. His speed's great, but now he just needs to have a little more strength."

"Wow. Thank you so much. I put the thunderstone in my bag and tell Pikachu, "We'll talk about this later."

I ask Espeon and Pikachu, "Hey, are you guys able to walk, or do you want to go in your pokéballs. Espeon, you're a bit too big now to ride on my shoulder."

She frowns, then goes up to my belt and taps the button on her pokéball, vanishing in a flash of red. _Huh. I guess with her evolution she mellowed out._ Pikachu just jumps on my shoulder, and I leave the gym to go heal my tired pokémon.

In the pokémon center I find Jake and Julia, who perk up as soon as I walk in. Jake asks, "So, how'd the gym battle go? And where's Eevee?"

I give my pokéballs and Pikachu to Nurse Joy, saying, "Please heal them up for me, okay?", then show my new badge to Jake. "I got the badge! And Eevee evolved into an Espeon, although she's currently resting in her pokéball."

Both Julia and Jake's eyes are wide. "Wow! An Espeon! Usually most trainers opt to evolve their eevees with stones or something, but Espeon and Umbreon take a really special bond to evolve."

 _Oh right, the thunderstone!_ I pull out the thunderstone. "Surge also gave me this for Pikachu, but I'm going to let him decide when he wants to evolve."

Nurse Joy comes back out with my pokéballs and Pikachu. "Here you go, Miss."

I give a quick "Thanks!" and lead my friends outside. I release Espeon, who just lies down near the trees. _Huh. I guess evolving really changed her._

" _Eh. I'm not as naive or energetic, but I'm still the same Eevee that will stick by your side." Right, I have to get used to that_. I tell them, "Since she evolved, Espeon can talk to me psychically. It's pretty cool." Julia smiles while Jake is confused. "Bu- bu- but I'm pretty sure only psychics could talk with their psychic pokémon." My hands briefly spark with electricity. "I think I count." He just brushes it off. "Yeah, I guess it must be pretty cool to be able to talk with your pokémon."

Pikachu also seems content to just lie down next to Espeon, while Absol is a little ways away under the shade of a tree. Spearow's perched somewhere, also relaxing in the evening sun. _Huh._ _I guess he was just playing for Eevee's sake. I have to ask him about his past; now that Eevee evolved he seems a lot more mature and older than I realized._

I look over at Pikachu who is snoozing next to Espeon, which looks a little weirder since Espeon is now slightly bigger than Pikachu. Oh well, let them sleep. They deserve it.

A/N Welp, I finally did it. Eevee evolved! If it felt a bit sudden, well, I don't know what to do about it. I'm too lazy to edit old chapters right now and I'm posting kinda late. Until next time!


	23. Chapter 23 - Bearing Responsibility

Happy Holidays! This chapter's a bit longer, mainly because I had more time over the break. Thanks Damariobros for reviewing, but my update schedule is every other Tuesday. Sorry about the long update time, but I just don't have the time (or the talent) to write a chapter that quickly. Anyways, onwards!

Kat's POV

Everybody is just hanging out in a field on the outskirts of Vermillion with all of the pokémon out. After my battle with Surge, everyone thought it would be a good idea to relax for a bit to allow Spearow to get to know everybody better and to let Espeon get adjusted to her new form. It's both cool and annoying that Espeon can know what I'm thinking, although for the most part she avoids intruding in everyone's minds (except Pikachu, she can't get enough of teasing him). Spearow really hit it off from Pikachu, and overall everything's been calm. No visits from Mewtwo, Arceus, or any other pokémon in my dreams. In addition, Julia's been taking a few days to decide which pokémon she wants to catch.

"Weedle? No… Horsea? Cute, but not really practical outside of water... "

Jake speaks up. "Hey, why don't we just head to the next gym? Your dad doesn't need Lucario so soon, and if you befriend any pokémon on our way you can catch them."

She brightens up. "Alright. Kat, where are we headed next?"

"Uh, let me think… I'm pretty sure I can choose between Celadon and Fuchsia, but I think Celadon is closer."

Jake's eyes narrow at the mention of Fuchsia, but only for a moment. _What was that? Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing._

As we head off back towards Saffron, none of my pokémon choose to stay in their pokéballs. Wooper and Lucario choose to walk with us as well, and it's nice to have our pokémon as company.

* * *

Eventually we stop by a small lake for lunch. I notice my food supply is running a bit low. I should probably go to a pokémart in Saffron. As we relax a small bear pokémon stumbles out of the woods and makes his way over to us, looking scared. It immediately hugs Julia's knee. She and Jake immediately freeze.

I ask them, "What's wrong? This pokémon looks harmless and scared."

Slowly they respond, "Yeah. Teddiursa are harmless. It's the parents you have to watch out for."

The teddiursa's stomach grumbles. _Aw, it's hungry._ Her gaze softening, Julia gives him a bit of her sandwich, which he scarfs down quickly.

Suddenly I hear a rustle in the nearby forest where Teddiursa came from. "God damn it! How in the world do we lose that stupid bear! Damn ursaring, it let the little one get away."

Teddiursa immediately looks down and starts crying. _You've got to be kidding me. These fools again._ Lucario tenses up, as do Espeon and Pikachu.

Eventually the two grunts that have somehow popped up _everywhere_ I go stumble out of the forest holding some weird gun, similar to the ice one they used in Mount Moon.

 _Ugh, I've had enough of these guys._ 'Hey! Can't you guys just, you know, stop trying to kidnap pokémon?"

Startled they turn to me, and their eyes find Teddiursa. The lead grunt slowly raises the gun, which has a threatening red glow, and tells us, "Just hand over the bear, and nobody gets hurt."

 _Fat chance of that happening._ "We won't let that happen, right guys?" I look around, and Lucario's gone. _What? Where did he go?"_

A blue sphere collides with the gun from the side, making it spark dangerously. Somehow Lucario flanked them while we were talking.

They drop it, and it explodes on impact with the ground. When the smoke clears, I see that both grunts have released their pokémon. The lead one now has an arbok, while the other still only has a koffing.

The lead one says, "Just because we've lost our weapon doesn't mean we're done. Arbok, Poison Sting the- the thing that just blew up our gun"

Arbok duly fires purple needles towards Lucario, but he didn't react as they bounced off his skin. Julia laughs. "Don't you guys know what a Lucario is? It's a steel-type, genius."

At that, the grunts get nervous, realizing that nothing they had would work on Lucario. They quickly turn around and run back into the forest.

Jake asks, "Shouldn't we follow them?"

Espeon relaxes. " _Eh, they're probably really far away. Shouldn't we be focusing on something else?"_

I look at the teddiursa still attached to Julia's leg. "Yeah, we should try to find Teddiursa's parents, right? We can't just keep it."

Julia nods. "The better we find his parents, the better." She picks up the scared bear. "Don't worry, we'll find your parents soon."

I turn to Espeon. "Hey, could you use psychic powers or something to look for Teddiursa's parents?"

She shakes her head. " _Honestly, I don't have much psychic power. I just barely had enough for that shield. Honestly I'm not using any sort of psychic power right now talking to you. I have no idea how you can understand me."_

 _Really? That's weird._ "So, how are we going to find two pokémon in this forest?"

"Spear, spearow!" Spearow immediately takes off towards the forest. "Uh, I guess he'll come back if he finds them?"

Jake starts walking towards the forest. "We should probably look too. It would take less time if we helped out."

"Seems like a plan." With that, the rest of us head into the forest to hopefully find two ursaring looking for their missing child.

* * *

As we venture into the forest, we split up into three groups. I have Espeon and Pikachu with me, Jake has Wooper and Absol, while Julia has Lucario and Teddiursa. If we needed to get in touch, apparently my pokédex has a phone app that I can use to contact my friends. _That could've saved me a lot of trouble in virtually every time I've encountered Team Rocket._

Walking through the forest, we find a small field with a few small pokémon. Some rattata, pidgey, caterpie, and a small purple humanoid pokémon were playing in the field.

I whisper to Espeon and Pikachu, "Could you guys ask if they know any ursaring in the forest? I don't want to alarm them by being here."

Nodding, they scamper onto the field and start talking to the locals.

While they're talking, the ground starts to shake. Looking around, I see nothing. _What was that?_ Suddenly a much larger and stronger version of the purple pokémon emerges from the trees. "KANGASKHAN!" It starts charging up an orange glow in it's mouth.

 _Oh shoot, that must be the parent of the small pokémon. Don't panic, stay calm, but be prepared to run._ "Uh, hi there, I didn't mean to intrude, but do you know any ursaring around here? My friends and I found a teddiursa being chased by Team Rocket and are looking for his parents."

Thankfully, the kangaskhan's gaze softens and the orange glow dies down, but she shakes her head. _Dang it._ Turning to the group of young pokémon who have come over, I see the little one jumping into kangaskhan's pouch. _Do they count as one pokémon, or two? Kangaskhan are weird._ Pidgeots and Butterfrees fly in as well, taking their children. Espeon and PIkachu walk up to me, and Espeon tells me, " _They don't know any ursaring in this part of the forest, but the parents are scared that Team Rocket might still be in the area."_

 _Yeah, that would be bad if they stumbled upon this group before I did._ "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to keep looking. Maybe Jake and Julia are having more luck than I am."

Jake's POV

The forest is silent except for the rustling of leaves caused by me and Wooper walking through the forest. How Absol is able to walk so quietly while avoiding trees is beyond me. It's been ten minutes already, and I haven't seen a single pokémon in the forest, let alone a giant bear.

"Do you guys notice anything?"

Both of the pokémon shake their heads. _Sheesh. How long can it take to find a freaking bear in the middle of the forest?_ We just continue forward, hoping we stumble into something.

All of a sudden Absol freezes. 'Hey, what's wrong?"

Absol tackles me behind a fallen tree, knocking the wind out of me. "H- hey! What's the-"

About a dozen needles fly over where I was about two seconds ago. Wooper seemed to pick up on the hint and took cover behind the log.

I cautiously peer over the log and see some beedrill, and they don't seem too happy that we invaded their territory. _I guess that's why there's no pokémon in the area._

Just to see what would happen, I take a berry on the ground and toss it out from behind the log. Immediately it gets skewered by Poison Stings. _Welp, looks like I'm stuck here._ Wooper looks afraid at the moment, but somehow Absol remains calm. I just hope he has a plan.

Julia's POV

I know that finding Teddiursa's parents are a priority right now, but I just have to say it's so cute having Teddiursa with me. The little bear hasn't let go of me, and it's a little hard to move through the forest with the bear hugging me.

Thankfully, Lucario has been scouting the forest nearby, asking around if an ursaring lives around here.

Teddiursa starts poking my arm. "Teddi! Teddiursa!" I look down and see him pointing towards the trees, where I see an orange glow. _Crap, that's a Hyper Beam._

Our attacker fires and I turn around to shield the baby bear, but something gets there first, causing an explosion that doesn't hit me or Teddiursa.

"Lu, Cariolu." I slowly turn around, seeing Lucario in a defensive stance against an injured and angry ursaring. I show the safe Teddiursa, and the bear immediately jumps out of my arms and runs to the ursaring.

Ursaring's attack dies down as she tears up and picks up Teddiursa. Suddenly Spearow flies down, a little tired. I ask the bird, "Hey, can you find everyone else and get them here? I'm going to try to treat the ursaring."

With a nod the spearow takes off. Rummaging through my bag I find a potion and a few berries, but looking at Ursaring it's a miracle she's not knocked out. _I'll need more than that._ I ask Lucario, "Can you go look around for some berries? We're going to need more to help Ursaring."

He looks at me skeptically. I guess he doesn't want to leave me alone with the two bears. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Unless you want me searching through the forest?"

He gives me a swift nod and takes off. Holding the potion, I slowly approach the ursaring, who backs up as I get closer. I try to not let my nervousness show as I tell her, "Hey, hey, relax, I'm not going to hurt you. This is medicine to help you get better."

After a moment, she nods and allows me to get close with the potion. 'This might sting a little bit." Ursaring nods and hisses a bit when I apply the spray, but I can see that the scrapes and bruises have already started to heal. I pull out the berries, telling her, "You can eat these as well to get your strength back.

Ursaring just looks at me with thankfulness in her eyes as she gingerly accepts the berries. _It's like a completely different pokémon compared to when she fired a hyper beam at me._

Slowly, more forest pokémon emerge and surround the ursaring and her child. _Well, I guess I'll just hang out here until everyone gets here._

Kat's POV

 _Seriously, how hard is it to find a giant bear?_

" _I don't know, but I hope the others had more luck than we did."_

Pikachu suddenly stops. "Pikapi. Chupi Kachupi"

Espeon translates, " _Listen. There's no noise"_

Now that I think about it, the forest is silent, except for a low buzzing sound. _Uh oh…_ More cautiously we move through the forest when we see the source of the buzzing. A group of beedrill are all watching a downed tree. _What in the world?_

Of course I accidentally step on a twig at that moment, making quite a loud snap in the otherwise silent forest. The beedrill immediately turn to me, and I take cover behind a tree with Pikachu and Espeon next to me. _Well shoot. How do we get out of this one?_

" _Wait for help? I can't zap all of them at once."/"i can provide cover while you two zap them"_

 _Whoa, too many voices. Also, how the heck am I able to hear Pikachu? I thought it was a psychic thing._

" _No idea, but now's not the time to be worrying about that."_ For whatever reason now, I can hear the thoughts of both of my pokémon.

Without warning a loud **crack** is heard, and a tree falls near us, stunning most of the beedrill. I tell Espeon and Pikachu, "Now's our chance."

While Espeon shields us with some weird combination of Barrier, Reflect, and Light Screen (I looked it up, there's no move that acts like her shield does. Maybe it's a dormant egg move or something?), Pikachu and I start firing Thunderbolts at them. I notice a Water Gun and a Night Slash thrown in there. _Well, that explains the tree down._ Our combined efforts scare off the beedrill and they take off to another part of the forest.

After a moment Jake pops up from behind the downed tree and sighs in relief that the beedrill are gone. "Thanks for the distraction, it let Absol cut down the tree."

"No problem. Although, do you know where Julia or Teddiursa are?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "I, uh, kinda got stuck here for 15 minutes because of those beedrill."

I wince. _Ouch_. A flapping of wings alerts us to Spearow's arrival. "Spear, spearow!"

I guess I can't understand all of my pokémon yet. Thankfully Espeon translates for me. " _Julia and Teddiursa found Teddiursa's mom and is waiting for us."_

I tell a confused Jake, "Julia found the ursaring." To Spearow, "Can you take us there?"

"Spearow!" He takes off through the forest, with everyone following.

* * *

Julia's POV

While I wait for Kat and Jake to show up, imagine my surprise when Teddiursa walks over to me. He pulls me over to a group of young pokémon, who start playing tag. Catching on, I join in. Lucario returned earlier, and Ursaring is healthy again.

Everyone was having fun, with the parents watching fondly, when suddenly a thick smoke cloud emerges from behind one of the trees. _You've got to be kidding me._ Immediately a net comes out of the smoke and traps Teddiursa.

I manage to run to it and grab the net before the smoke envelops us both. Knowing that the smoke is probably Smog, I hug Teddiursa close to my chest so he doesn't have to breathe in the poisonous gas.

When the foul gas covers us, I'm glad Teddiursa doesn't have to breathe the disgusting smog. The purple smoke is making me cough and my eyes water. Between coughs I manage to cry out, "Help!"

"SpearOh!"

A gust of wind blows the smog out of the way, and I can breathe fresh air again. I still don't feel so good. _Damn, I've probably been poisoned._ _At least the cavalry's arrived._

Without their cover, the Rocket grunts freeze at the sight of all the really pissed off forest pokémon.

Suddenly a pidgeot lands nearby, and someone in a blue cloak hops off.

Forgetting the angry pokémon around them, the grunt with the Arbok asks, "Hey, who the hell are you?"

"My name doesn't matter. Come on, you two are coming with me."

"No way! Arbok, attack!"

However, Arbok refuses to move, looking scared at the numerous Hyper Beams aimed at them. Both grunts sigh, defeated, and return their pokémon. Then one of them shouts, "Run!" and tries to hightail it out with his partner behind him.

The man in the blue cloak simply takes a pokéball out. "Magnezone, Thunder Wave."

The electric and steel type fires a small band of electricity that hits both grunts, stopping them in their tracks. Pulling out two pairs of handcuffs, he cuffs both grunts and shoves them on his pidgeot.

He waves to us, but is looking at Kat more so than the rest of us. "Good job you guys. I'll take these idiots to Saffron. See ya Kat!"

 _Well, that just happened._ I ask Kat, "Uh, who was that guy?"

"Oh, that's Luke. He's a G-men who-"

Kat is interrupted by Teddiursa pulling on my leg. Kat stops and smiles. "That's really cute."

I pick up the teddiursa and smile at him. "You know, you should probably go back to your mom."

Teddiursa shakes his head. _Huh?_ I look at the Ursaring, who just nods. I turn to Kat. "Uh, a little help? Can you figure out what's going on?"

Kat in turn looks to Espeon, and after a small conversation between the two pokémon, she tells me. "Ursaring wants Teddiursa to go with you. She can't protect him with Team Rocket running around, and with you he's safe."

 _Wha- wow._ _Am I ready to take care of him? With everyone with me, I'm sure it'll be fine._ "I, alright. If you want to come with me, I'd love to have you with us."

Teddiursa just smiles as I pull out a pokéball. He gently taps it and is quickly captured. I let the bear out and he runs over to his mom, hugs him, then comes back to me.

My stomach rumbles as I can almost see the sun set. "I guess we should head back, huh?"

My friends agree. "Yeah." Turning to the forest pokémon, I tell them, "Bye! Until next time!"

As we leave the forest, I can't help but wonder: _So I have my first pokémon, a Teddiursa. I wonder what other friends I'll make on my journey._

A/N So Julia gets a pokémon. Yay! Also because I forgot to mention it in the last chapter (and I'm too lazy to edit that) Lt. Surge has an Alolan golem because, well, he's the Lightning American so it makes sense that he might have a pokémon from Alola (Hawaii). I also refuse to apologize for the terrible pun title. Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 24 - Return to Saffron

A/N Hey everyone! In response to the anonymous review, I, uh, did not mean to make that reference. Never watched Dragon Ball Z, and had to look that reference up. Anyways, thanks for reading!

Kat's POV

It's now the day after Julia made a new friend, a teddiursa. Lucario was supposed to leave once Julia got her own pokémon, but after a conversation with Absol he decided to stay. Not that I'm complaining. The aura pokémon gets along well with Absol, and with my luck a bit of extra power is welcome.

As Saffron City with its skyscrapers and modern buildings comes into view, I can't but help feeling a bit happy. Don't get me wrong, I love the fields and the forests, but a hot shower would be nice after running around in the forest for a day. I also have to fill up on food and want to buy a flashlight so I don't have to rely on Pikachu for light when it's dark.

After a quick stop at the pokémart, the three of us and all of our pokémon are relaxing near the pokémon center when suddenly police cars rush by, lights blaring. Absol and Lucario tense up as well. _That's not good._

"What was that about?"

Jake says, "I don't know, but let's find out."

As we rush into the pokémon center, we almost run into Nurse Joy.

Surprised, she exclaims, "Oh, excuse me! Silph Headquarters was just attacked by Team Rocket and the police need my help to heal the injured. Stay here, where it's safe." With that, she hurriedly exits the center with a chansey in tow. _Alright, we need to help._

Jake looks at me. He deadpans, "You're already thinking of helping out, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

He sighs. "Alright, I guess I will too. Julia, you in?"

"You bet!"

As we approach the large building, policemen stop us. "I'm sorry, but you can't go any farther. Team Rocket's taken over the building and it's too dangerous for kids like you to go in."

In protest, I ask, "Are you sure? We have strong pokémon, and we can help out."

"I'm sorry Miss, but it's too dangerous.

Suddenly a gruff voice behind me says, "Let them through. They're with me." I turn around and see Luke, who looks serious flashing his G-men badge at the policemen.

Once we're past the police, he stops the three of us. "Now I understand that you want to help, but you have to be careful. Stay behind me, and don't rush in recklessly. These are not your everyday grunts; they were able to take over the building relatively quickly."

"Okay. My name's Jake, and that's Julia"

"I know. Do you really think I would have let you guys come if I didn't know who you were?"

Silently, wait as Luke releases his magnezone. He tells us, "I would return the teddiursa, it doesn't look too ready for battle."

Julia nods and returns the small bear, and the rest of us head into the building.

Pikachu's POV

It's kinda creepy walking through the silent yet lit Silph Co. headquarters. The desks are empty and there's not a soul around. Still, after the gym battle, I'm feeling antsy and need to shock something soon.

Thankfully, we find some grunts around the corner. Startled they barely call out their ekans and koffing before Magnezone paralyzes them. The pokémon quickly look at us and attack with Poison Stings and smogs, but they do nothing to Magnezone who just precedes to use Lock-On and Zap Cannon, knocking the pokémon out.

After Spearow quickly blows away the poisonous smog, we keep walking.

Kat asks, "That can't be it, right? The rest of the grunts have to have better pokémon than that."

Luke sighs. "The grunts on the upper levels will be much more heavily guarded. Let's go, we don't have much time."

True enough, a few floors later, we find a group of grunts who release a combination of Arboks, Mightyenas, and a Houndoom or two. Luke releases a powerful looking sandslash, and then things get hectic.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Absol sparring with a houndoom and Sandslash running through and taking out other pokémon, but I'm forced to focus on a battle when a Poison Sting rushes by my head. An arbok hisses at me, "A good sssssnack, for sure." _You've got to be kidding me_. Ducking under another Poison Sting, I fire a Thunderbolt at him, and he howls in pain.

Deciding to get close, he rushes forward only for me to dodge out of the way with Agility and send him flying with Iron Tail. _Alright, one down, who's left?_

I look around and see Kat and Espeon struggling to fight off two mightyena. Everyone else is occupied and Espeon's new psychic attacks won't do anything to the dark-types, and rushing in close quarters as a psychic type with a dark type is not a good idea.

As the wolf lunges at Espeon, I blindside him with an Iron Tail and follow up with a Thunderbolt. Lucario nails the other with an Aura Sphere, and with that all of the grunts and their pokémon are down.

I take a look around at my friends. Espeon is okay for the most part, Absol, Lucario, and Luke's pokémon all look like they haven't battled at all, but Wooper is looking a bit tired. Come to think of it, he really hasn't got that much battle experience, which might be a problem. Regardless, we keep moving forwards. _Why did the leader of Team Rocket have to be on the top floor?_

After similar battles, Jake surprises all of us by pulling out a few berries and potions, giving Absol, Lucario, and I some much needed energy for the next fight.

Luke whispers to us, "The next floor is where Giovanni is. We should outnumber him but be careful, you never know what he might have up his sleeve."

Jake stops. "Wait, Giovanni, like-"

Luke cuts him off. "Now's not the time. Just be ready."

As Luke opens the door, an explosion sends him flying. Julia immediately goes over to him, and thankfully she finds a pulse. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to deal with six very powerful pokémon inside. Sandslash carefully picks up a pokéball on Luke's belt and releases a sylveon. I ask him quickly, "Why didn't you release the others?"

He just responds, "Too big" and looks towards the menacing group of pokémon, including a rhydon, a persian, a scyther, an electrode, a magmar, and a snake that looks a bit like an arbok but without the head frills and a bladed tail.

Giovanni frowns as his eyes rest on Kat. "You! You're the one from Cerulean! Alright, capture her, but kill everyone else."

I can see the color drain from everyone's faces after he said that, and all of my friends get ready for the hardest battle of our lives.

* * *

Kat's POV

As soon as Giovanni gives that order, all of the pokémon around me start firing attacks. I don't have time to order attacks to everyone, but I have faith that they'll be okay. Wooper is pretty much knocked out immediately by the rhydon, and Jake returns him. I duck under a flamethrower from the magmar and counter with a Thunderbolt which he certainly wasn't expecting. The distraction was enough for Absol to hit it with a Night Slash.

The rest of the fight was not going so well, however. Giovanni's persian is a monster, able to take on Sylveon and Lucario, who are starting to look tired. Espeon is fighting the purple snake, a seviper, to a standstill so far, while Magnezone and Sandslash were duking it out with Scyther and Electrode. That left Pikachu against the electrode and Absol against the magmar.

While for the most part I let the pokémon deal with the battle, I did help out by throwing in a few Thunderbolts, using Quick Attack to dodge stray attacks. The little distractions allow my friends to gain an upper hand. The seviper, magmar, and electrode are down, but Espeon and Sandslash are exhausted while Pikachu, Absol, and Lucario are starting to look tired.

"Enough!" Giovanni said. "Rhydon, Earthquake!" "Persian, Giga Impact"

As Rhydon slams into the ground releasing a massive shockwave (that somehow doesn't take down the building. I guess it was built with pokémon attacks in mind), Persian protects itself by cloaking in a purple and yellow energy, and Scyther just hovers. Our pokémon are hit way worse.

Absol and Espeon are hit with the brunt of the blast, and are both knocked out. Pikachu manages to jump in the air to avoid it, but Sandslash and Sylveon are also knocked out. Magnezone just hovers and isn't affected at all. I myself manage to back up enough to avoid most of the damage, but still stumble a bit. Jake quickly finds Sandslash's and Sylveon's pokéballs to return them as I return Absol and Espeon, leaving Magnezone, Lucario, and Pikachu to deal with Persian, Rhydon, and Scyther.

 _We need to single one out._ "Pikachu, Magnezone, double Thunderbolt on Scyther!" The two powerful bolts of lightning strike the bug and it falls, unconscious.

Giovanni narrows his eyes, and whistles. _What could that possibly mean?_ Seconds later I'm tackled to the ground roughly by Persian with a claw at my throat. I'm frozen in fear, unable to gather enough energy to shock him. I doubt it'll do much anyway.

While everyone else is still, Giovanni speaks coldly. "Now, return your pokémon and surrender, or she gets it."

Pikachu's POV

 _I'm powerless. I'm useless. I can't protect Kat, couldn't do anything in the gym battle either, and now my trainer's on the ground threatened by a persian. What now?_

"Huh? What's it going to be. Surrender or she dies." Just to prove he's not bluffing, Persian's claws press harder, just drawing blood. _What in the world could I do?_

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I see a green stone with a yellow streak. When Kat was attacked by Persian, her bag hit the floor and the contents spilled out behind her, hidden from Giovanni's view. _That could be the key to winning this fight._

 _But what if I turn into them? The pokémon who cast me out and made life a living hell?_ My mind goes back to my conversation with Absol in Saffron. Absol's voice rings in my head. " _Why do you battle?"_ _I battle to help protect my friends._ That decides it. Before anyone could do anything I dash behind Kat and jump on the stone.

An exhilarating power rushes through me, and I immediately slam into the persian with an Iron Tail followed up by a Thunderbolt.

Kat's voice whispers out, "Pi- Raichu? You evolved to s- s- save me?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there. Come on, we have a cat to beat."

Kat's eyes widen. "O- Okay." _I think she understood me. I know she has a little in the past, but let's hope that this is permanent. It's pretty cool!_

Thankfully while I was attacking Persian Lucario nailed Rhydon with an Aura Sphere, and he went down too. Now it is just the persian left, with sparks flying off of his fur.

Giovanni knows this is a lost battle. He returns his pokémon and pulls out a familiar black box, and frowns. "I will find you, and I will complete my plans." Before anyone could say anything else, he presses the button and he and Persian vanish.

Behind me, Luke starts to stir and wake up. He mumbles, "Wh- what happened? Is everyone okay?"

Magnezone just robotically says, "Enemies fled. Allies require medical assistance." _I wonder, does he actually have emotions? Or is it even a he? Magnezone are weird pokémon._

Kat's POV

With help from Julia, Luke manages to stand up and pull out his phone. Pressing a button, he says, "Yeah, Alpha One here. Rockets have fled the building. The master ball is safe." _What's a master ball?_

"..."

"Alright. I'll have Pidgeot and Charizard bring the kids down."

Pikachu, no, Raichu, lies down by me, tired. "I guess you're a bit big now to be on my shoulder, huh?" He just lazily flicks his tail in response. I say to him, "Alright, come on, we have to go."

I see him trying to get up, but he's wincing, so instead I just pick him up and nuzzle his cheek. "Don't worry, I got you." I can feel him relax and fall asleep in my arms.

* * *

After all of the injured pokémon are returned, Luke's pidgeot and charizard are able to bring me, Jake, Julia, and all of the injured pokémon to the pokémon center. The two powerhouses are a little disgruntled that they never got to battle, but they wouldn't have done well in the fight without any room to fly.

Thankfully, nobody has any serious injuries, just mostly exhaustion, although Nurse Joy tells us to avoid battling for a little while, which is fine by me.

It isn't until all of our pokémon are healed that the adrenaline rush fades and I suddenly feel really tired and dizzy. I almost fall, but thankfully Jake catches me. "Tired?" he asks me.

I mumble back, "Uh huh". I manage to walk to the room that Julia and I are staying in and just crash on the bed and fall asleep.

A/N Oh my gosh. That chapter was way too annoying to write. I must have gone through at least five different versions in my head before deciding on one. I'm pretty happy with the final product, though. Regardless, Pikachu evolved! Yay! Until next time!


	25. Chapter 25 - Myths and Legends

A/N Hey guys, what's up! I don't know how I'm going to get a chapter out in two weeks, as I have a **huge** science project coming up. I'll do my best. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Kat's POV

" _Run, Kat! Get out of here!"_

I can only stare as Espeon is fighting the persian, and losing. Raichu, Spearow, and Absol are battered and bloody and I can't tell if they're unconscious or dead. Wave after wave of desperate psychic energy blasts from Espeon and yet it's doing nothing to phase the cat.

It's not long until Persian defeats Espeon, then moves towards me slowly. Somehow it speaks. "See, you were never strong enough. And you never will be." Suddenly it pounces, claws extended for my throat.

I wake up with a gasp, sweating and breathing heavily. _Oh, it was just a dream. All of my pokémon are fine, there's no persian, and everything is okay._

Beside me Espeon gets up from sleeping Raichu's side on the couch and curls up next to me. " _Are you alright? I could sense that wave of fear._

I whisper back, "Y-yeah. It was just a nightmare, don't worry about it."

Espeon frowns. " _Let's just hope it's nothing too bad, and hope that Arceus knows what he's doing. I think the president of Silph Co. wanted to talk to you yesterday but Luke convinced him to let you rest. Good thing, because you needed it."_

"Uh, how long was I out?"

I can hear Espeon's mental laugh in my head. " _Well, you fell asleep around 3 in the afternoon, and it's currently 7 in the morning."_

 _Wow, I guess I really did need the rest._ "Is anyone else up yet?"

Espeon shakes her head. " _Well, everyone stayed up a little late last night."_ After a mental yawn (somehow), she continues. " _There was a lot of buzz about what all of us did, and everyone found it a bit hard to fall asleep."_

I smile. "If you want to snuggle up with Raichu again and get a bit more shut-eye, be my guest. I just have to get some air."

She doesn't say anything, but I can feel her embarrassment. Regardless, she moves over to Raichu on the couch and lies down next to him, falling asleep quickly.

Silently I get up and throw on a jacket and jeans as I step into the cool air outside. It's still early so it's a bit chilly outside.

Outside I see that there aren't too many people up this early, just a few people with their pokémon out.

I hear a small explosion behind the pokémon center, where the practice field is. Curious, I make my way over there to see Lucario sparring with Luke's sandslash. Luke, however, is nowhere to be found.

 _I should probably just let them be._ I turn away and decide just to walk around the city for a bit (the safer side, at least).

The crisp air and the walk help me think. _Why would I dream of Giovanni's Persian? My pokémon saved me, so why am I so afraid?_

My hand subconsciously touches the thin cut on my neck, which seems to have mostly healed overnight. _Maybe it's because I know I'm not strong enough, and that if it weren't for Raichu I would have been dead._ I shiver at the grim thought. _Is that what my mind is telling me? That I have to be stronger on my own and stop relying on my pok_ _émon to save me?_

 _No, that can't be right. We get stronger together. Together, we can beat any enemy, even Giovanni's wicked persian._

All of a sudden my grumbles. _Oops, I guess I should head back now._

When I get back, I see that everyone is up, having breakfast. Jake smiles at me as I walk in. "Here, I got you some already."

"Thanks," I reply and sit down with the rest of my pokémon.

While we're eating, Julia says, "You know, I'm pretty sure that the president of SIlph Co. wanted to talk to you today. He already talked to us, and I'm pretty sure he's in Sabrina's gym until the building gets repaired. I think he has a gift for you as well."

"Ok!" _I wonder what it is._ "I think I'll go see him after breakfast. What are you guys going to do in the meantime?"

"Eh, just kick back and relax. I think all of us need it.'

"Yeah, I agree. The league isn't anytime soon, so I'm not in a rush. I think the pokémon would enjoy a break too."

* * *

Whenever I can I let my pokémon out of their pokéballs, if they want. I can only imagine what it's like to be stuck in a sphere of blackness. Spearow is flying around, a little anxious since I didn't use him in the Silph building. I still don't think he's ready for that kind of fights just yet. Pikachu, Espeon, and Absol walk beside me, but Absol seems a bit tense, walking around where he used to live for who knows how many years.

A few people stare (probably at Absol) but for the most part we are left alone. When we get to Sabrina's gym the doors open and Sabrina walks out.

"Hey, how's it going? Congrats on evolving your eevee into an espeon; it's not particularly easy. Anyways, Ross is waiting for you inside."

I enter the gym and in a back room I find an old, kind-looking man. _What do I do? What do I say?_ Timidly I manage to say, "Uh, hi sir. You wanted to speak to me?"

He just smiles. "Please, call me Ross. I have to thank you for all that you and your friends have done to help defeat Team Rocket."

I feel my cheeks flush. "It was nothing, just the right thing to do."

"Oh, you're too modest. You've done more than you know." He clears his throat, then asks, "Do you know why Team Rocket invaded my building?"

 _Now that I think about it, I don't really know._ "Uh, not really. I just thought they would be after money or something."

"Well, recently Silph has been developing a pokéball specifically for violent or uncontrollable wild pokémon. It's called a master ball, and can catch any pokémon regardless of strength, status, or health."

 _Really? A pokéball that never fails..._ Ross continues, "So, it is critical that Team Rocket never gets their hands on that technology. For ensuring that, I have to repay you." He pulls out a purple pokéball with a plain white 'M' on it."

"Is- is that…?"

"Yes, this is the master ball. After yesterday, I realized the dangers of having such a powerful piece of technology. I have decided to hand the technology over to the G-men, who can protect and use the master ball technology much better than I can. This is currently one of the only three existing master balls in the world."

 _Do I really want to take a pokéball that can capture any pokémon?_ "Thank you, but I have to refuse. I want my pokémon to be friends with me and come willingly, not forcing them with a pokéball that never fails."

I thought he would be mad that I refused his offer, but instead the president smiles even wider. "You know, your friends said the same thing. It really shows your character that you would rather make friends with your partners than capture them by force. There's not that many of you kind souls nowadays."

He puts the master ball away, then pulls something else out from behind the desk. _No way, is that really-_

"Unfortunately, I don't have an excess of pokémon eggs to give out, only one, but your friends insisted that I give it to you. Now, would you accept this gift, a new friend?"

 _I can't believe it. He's actually giving me a pokémon egg. Can I really keep him or her safe? With Arceus's prophecy and my run-ins with Team Rocket, is this the best decision?_

Behind me Espeon lightly jumps onto the desk, and looks at the red and white egg. " _I think you should take it. Don't be worried about not being able to protect it; you can throw freaking lightning bolts for crying out loud!"_

"Thanks, Espeon." The Silph president just blinks. "Uh, did I miss something?"

"Oh! Sorry about that. Espeon can talk to me telepathically. It's really cool sometimes."

"Interesting. And yet your espeon is not that old. Usually only extremely powerful psychic type pokémon can use telepathy with their trainers. Do you know how you are able to now?"

"Not really, I just assumed it was a thing that psychic type pokémon could do."

"Well, you and your pokémon are certainly special, that's for sure. After I had heard that some kids helped expel one of largest criminal groups out of my building, I did some research. Now, the G-men shut me out after a little while, but I did find out that you've been in the right place at the right time fairly often. Rocket's attack on Cerulean, the invasion of the Ranger HQ in Vermillion, and now the invasion of my building in Saffron."

I can feel Espeon tense behind me. _What if he knows about my gift? Maybe Espeon's telepathy isn't something I should advertise._ The president pauses, then says, "Don't take this the wrong way. I mean no harm to you. Now, have you ever heard of something called the Champion of Arceus?"

"No….? What is it?"

"When I was a young boy, there were legends of a child who was gifted with amazing powers. Unlike many of the other pokémon trainers at the time, he wanted to just be friends with them, not capture them against their will. When the land broke out into a vicious civil war, Arceus visited this young boy and gave him the power to connect his soul with his pokémon's. A more powerful version of empathy, if you will. Instead of just feeling what your pokémon feel, you should be able to draw on their power and give them yours. The legend I heard says that only young boy and his starter, a typhlosion, could completely bond their souls, creating a new form similar to what we know today as mega-evolution."

 _Whoa. So I guess I'm Arceus's champion then, right? It would explain the dreams and the powers._ While I'm trying to wrap my head around that idea, I sputter out, "Wh- why me? Of all the people in the world, what makes me so special?"

"Well, I think that the answer is quite obvious. He motions to Espeon and then the rest of my pokémon running around in the gym. "You and your pokémon share a special bond that I have seen in very few other people. Not many would refuse a master ball, yet you did for the sake of a friend you haven't met yet. You are definitely worthy of becoming Arceus's Champion."

 _I have so many questions, but I need to ask this one._ "So, what do I do now? Can I still go on my journey, or do I have to do something specific for Arceus?"

He laughs. "Of course! Your journey is how you will get stronger and able to face the challenges ahead. The G-men have been helping you out, don't you realize? Why else would a government agent allow three kids to just walk into a building that has been taken over by one of the largest criminal organizations in the world? They've been keeping their eyes on you; I'm sure Arceus has a plan."

 _Well, it looks like I just keep going, and I'll run into whatever problems I need to find._ "Alright." I carefully pick up the egg, which feels warm to the touch. "Thanks for the egg! I'll be sure to take good care of it. Come on Espeon."

Despite now knowing that my destiny is more or less predetermined, I can't help but feel a little excited. _So I'm apparently a Champion of Arceus, and have a new friend. I can't wait for the little guy to hatch. I wonder what pok_ _émon he or she will be. I'm guessing a fire type based on its warmth and coloring. But I guess we'll just wait and see._

A/N So a few major plot-related things happen here. I've been thinking of how to explain Kat's powers coherently, and this is the best way I got. Also, a new team member is coming. Take your guesses on what pokémon it is. Just know that it is a fire-type pokémon and from Kanto-Johto. Until next time!


	26. Chapter 26 - Pride Before the Fall

A/N Hey everyone! I know that I'm technically supposed to post this on Tuesday, but I'm kind of going to be in Texas for the next four days and don't really know if I'll have time to post. Anyways, here it is!

Kat's POV

With new supplies and an egg, the three of us have been making our way through the forest on the way to Celadon for a few days now. I've been training Spearow for a bit for two reasons. One, he wants to get stronger to save his family, and two, he will be a huge help for the next gym, which is I believe a grass-type gym. While we've been travelling Jake has been getting up before anyone, even Lucario, and does who-knows-what. It's not that big of a deal; he's still my friend and it probably isn't my business.

The forest pokémon are no match for my speedy flier, and most go down with a Gust, but I can tell the repeated battles are increasing his endurance and stamina, which are very important for a quick aerial battler like him.

With Spearow lazily flying around waiting for another forest pokémon to appear, my mind wanders about what I learned from Ross yesterday. _So, Champion of Arceus, huh? While that seems great, that just means that there's another tragedy looming around the corner. Would I be strong enough to handle it? What's going to happen?_

Slowly I become aware of Espeon's thoughts in my head. " _Hey Kat. Earth to Kat. Hellllooo?"_

" _Oh! Sorry Espeon. Just thinking. So what's up?"_

" _Don't you think that something is weird? Something missing?"_

Taking a moment to observe the expansive forest around us, there is nothing that jumps out at me. Like actually nothing. Usually there is the chirping of bird pokémon or various bug pokémon slithering through the grass. But now, nothing. The forest is dead silent.

I ask Jake and Julia, "Hey guys, isn't something off? Why aren't there any pokémon around?"

We all stop and listen to the unnerving silence. The three of us and our pokémon walk a little more carefully through the quiet forest.

Suddenly a bush rustles about 10 feet from us. Instantly all of us freeze, and Raichu starts sparking. As we inch closer, suddenly a scyther bursts out of the ground and starts wildly swinging its bladed hands around.

Quickly Raichu lets loose the Thunderbolt he'd been charging, and the scyther quickly drops to the ground in pain. Still, it gets up quickly, but then fall, breathing hard and clutching her side. _I know Raichu is powerful, but he's not that powerful, right?_ _Wait, doesn't it look a lot paler than the scyther I fought back in Saffron?_

Raichu is tense, but unsure of what to do. His cheeks still spark from residual electricity after his attack, but he seems to relax a bit. Nearby Jake pulls out two berries, one pink and

Slowly Jake walks over to the injured pokémon, who tries to lash out at him, but completely misses due to the pain. Carefully Jake pulls out a pink berry from his pack and offers it to him. "Here. This will help you get better." After the scyther refuses to look at him or take the berry, Jake just puts the berry on the ground and steps back slowly.

The scyther thinks for a moment, then shakes her head as she tries to stand again, this time leaning on a tree. The three of us and our pokémon just watch as she attempts to walk back into the cover of the forest, but after a few steps she completely collapses.

Jake immediately picks up the berry and brings it over to the scyther, bringing it to her mouth. Initially she turns her head away, refusing the berry, but Jake is firm and gently holds her down. "Hey. I know you're poisoned. Normally that wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the other injuries. So eat it."

The scyther struggles for a moment, but ultimately decides to eat the berry. Immediately a bit more color returns to her cheeks and her breathing seems to have slowed down.

A Jake offers his hand out to help her up, the scyther just ignores it as she struggles to get up on her own. She nods to us in thanks and limps into the forest, leaning on trees for support.

Julia frowns. "You know, it could have been a little more grateful."

I say, "She, I think. But anyways, I don't think that she would be the reason the forest is so quiet. Jake, what do you think?"

Jake just stares in the direction that the scyther left, not acknowledging me.

"Jake?"

He looks up with surprise. "Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just wondering how she ended up so injured. What did you say?"

"I was thinking that she wasn't the one that scared away all the pokémon. But if it isn't her, what is it?"

Jake frowns. "I don't know, but I think Scyther needs our help. She's evidently not strong enough to take on whatever hurt her, but I'm worried that her pride is going to be her downfall."

"What? Pride? What makes you say that?"

"Well, if you noticed, she absolutely refused any help from me until I more or less forced her to eat the berry. Even still, she got up on her own and went to deal with her own problems. Now we just have to get to the bottom of this mess and help her out. She's still injured and I don't think that she's ready for another fight."

"So, what should we do?"

He looks around, then points to an unnatural groove on a tree. "There. Scyther was leaning on trees as she left. We can follow the trail."

"Alright, let's go. Spearow, watch from above, let us know if there's anything up ahead. Julia, you might want to return Teddiursa." The bear is slowly starting to train, but is definitely not ready for an actual fight.

After Julia returns Teddiursa, the rest of us follow Jake's lead as he finds which trees have grooves in them from Scyther's blades. Eventually they become less and less frequent, until Jake whispers, "Wait. I think we're here."

I peer out from behind the trees, and see the scyther viciously fighting multiple red and black spiders with purple and yellow legs.

Scyther seems to have recovered since collapsing in the forest, but the toll of battle is slowly gaining on her. She slows down, and dodges a purple glowing leg a split second too late. The poison-infused limb just grazes her, but it's enough to stop the bug, causing her to sway and breathe heavily again. _Shoot, she's poisoned again._

Jake steps out of the trees before any of us could do anything. "Wooper, Mud Shot!" The globs of mud find their targets and repel the spiders away for the time being. Quickly the rest of my pokémon start covering Scyther as she slowly gets back up. Espeon and Raichu are working almost in perfect sync, and I even see a few lightning bolts from Raichu curving to hit other ariados. _Hmm, maybe I can make that a combination move or something._

Absol seems to be at his element here. His movements are fluid, making the spiders look like fools. Parry. Sidestep. Slash. Roll. Slash again. He continues to dodge the Poison Jabs, wearing down the spiders without getting hit himself.

I notice Spearow in the air, a little unsure of what he should do with all the chaos around him. Regardless, he launches a few gusts at the spiders, who are knocked off balance and allow for the other pokémon to take them out.

I myself am hanging back a little bit, keeping an eye on my pokémon and helping out if they're in trouble. A few spiders get to me, but aren't expecting a Thunderbolt to the face from a human.

Lucario and Wooper are with Scyther, who still is refusing Jake's help. I can hear the frustration in his voice. "Come on, why don't you just let me help? Your stubbornness is going to get you killed!"

One of the ariados (yes, I can figure it out if I just listen for a second) ran forward and got past Wooper and Lucario, heading straight for the injured scyther. It's too risky for me to do anything: I might hit Jake and the scyther instead.

I can only watch in horror as Jake pushes the scyther out of the way, taking a Poison Jab himself.

"Jake!" I cry out as I run over to him. He slowly gets up with my help, and Scyther just stares in awe. Suddenly she runs towards me, and I instinctively duck. She slashes just above my head and knocks an ariados away. _Whew, that was close. Just how many of these spiders are there?_

Still leaning on me, Jake warns Scyther, "On your right!" Finally taking his help, she blocks the incoming attack with one blade and knocks the ariados into the tree with the other.

Thankfully, It seems as if that one was the leader, because as soon as Scyther knocks that ariados out, the rest of the spiders retreat and scramble back into the forest. I see Absol collapse in the corner of my eye; it seems that they finally hit him pretty hard with a super-effective move. Combined with exhaustion, there's only so much the dark-type can take. I quickly return him whisper "Thank you" to the pokéball. Absol will be fine as long as we get to a pokémon center soon, but right now Jake needs my help.

After the spiders leave, Jake notices Scyther swaying a little bit, and with my help makes his way over to her. Holding two more pink berries, he offers one to Scyther, who accepts it without any hesitation this time. Jake actually eats the berry himself, but unlike Scyther I don't see any immediate change. He still looks paler than usual and is sweating.

At my look of confusion he says, "Pecha berries work wonders for pokémon, but for some reason don't work as well for humans. Humans also aren't exactly designed to take Poison Jabs." He pauses to take a breath, then shakily continues. "The berry will hold off the poison for a bit, but I need to get to a pokémon center."

Julia speaks up. "Alright, you said it, we have to get to Celadon ASAP. Does anyone remember the way back to the path?"

 _Oh shoot. Where are we?_ _Wait, I have a flying-type pokémon._ "Spearow, can you fly up and see where we can find help?" Although fatigued, the plucky bird takes off through the trees, and returns a moment later pointing a wing.

"Alright, thanks, let's go." With Julia and I supporting Jake, we make our way through the forest as fast as we can. I have to return Spearow because he's too tired from the battle to do much, and Jake returns Wooper. Lucario, Espeon, Raichu, and surprisingly Scyther come with us, making sure more ariados don't ambush us.

Within a few minutes we leave the forest, but there's no city. Instead, we find a small cabin with some smoke coming out of the chimney. _Well, I hope they don't mind, but Jake really needs some help._ _I just hope that they can treat the poison._

I knock on the door, and an older woman answers us. As soon as she sees our ragtag group and Jake's condition, she immediately ushers us in. "Oh dears, come in, come in." Turning towards the house, she yells, "Sam! There are trainers who've been hurt by those damn ariados. One of them looks poisoned pretty badly!"

Soon a man with graying hairs (her husband, I assume) walks down carrying bottles of some form of medicine. Handing them to her, he says, "You take care of the boy, I'll deal with their pokémon. Jake weakly hands Julia Wooper's pokéball as the two of us follow the kind stranger. Scyther opts to just wait outside, looking for berries to heal herself rather than letting the nice couple help her.

We make it to what seems like a hospital room with various medicines around. He explains, "You know, life used to be so great and quiet around here. But then somehow a whole bunch of ariados show up, and suddenly all the pokémon vanish. Now we're just here making sure nobody dies to those bugs. Release your pokémon. I promise, they'll be okay."

Lucario, Espeon, and Raichu are already out of their pokéballs and followed us in, so I think they'll be okay aside from general tiredness. They didn't seem to be hit too hard. I release Spearow and Absol while Julia releases Wooper. For Spearow and Wooper, Sam just sprays a potion on them and they perk up instantly. When he makes his way over to Absol, he just freezes. "No," he mutters. "It can't be."

Instantly scared for Absol I ask, "Is he going to be okay?"

Regaining his composure he quickly pulls a different bottle and sprays Absol with it. Absol weakly raises his head. _Whew, at least he's okay._

Almost visibly shaking, Sam is still muttering to himself, "Thirty years. After all this time, I thought I would never see him again." _What in the world is he talking about?_

Absol's POV

 _I remember the battle, almost like living in the streets again. Kat and the others were counting on me, and I couldn't let them down. Relying entirely on my battle instincts, I parried, hacked, and slashed my way through the spiders._

 _Suddenly a huge alarm went off in my head somewhere to my left. I ran to where my sense was leading me, and managed to intercept a Poison Jab headed straight for Raichu. Unfortunately, it left me vulnerable, and a Megahorn nearly knocked me unconscious. Kat returned me to the safe blackness of my pokéball._

Suddenly I'm released from the darkness of the pokéball on some form of bed. The person who healed me is saying something, but my mind is still to groggy to understand anything.

Someone sprays some medicine on me, and I can feel some of my strength returning. I can make out the words he's saying. "Thirty years. After all this time, I thought I would never see him again." _No no no no no. Not him. Anyone but him. Of all people, why him?_

Ignoring the fact that my danger sense was surprisingly not going off, I try to jump off and run out of the room, but my burning muscles won't let me. I crash to the floor, and I can feel Kat's reassuring hand. "Hey, it's okay. The ariados are gone. Everyone's fine. Someone healed you. There's nothing to worry about."

Near hyperventilating, I manage to gasp out, "I- I never thought I would see… see **him** again"

Kat's confused voice goes, "Who? Who are you talking about?"

"The man who- who almost killed me. M- my former trainer."

A/N Dun. Dun. DUUUUUN! Sorry about the cliffhanger (totally not sorry: I do this quite often, actually) but, yeah. There are a lot of details in the early chapters of this story that will have a lot more significance later on, let's see if you can find them by the end. Thanks for reading!


	27. Chapter 27 - Ghosts of the Past

Hey, what's up? To Derpy 2.0, uh, thanks, I guess? I don't entirely understand the point of your review... regardless, thanks for following/favoriting this story! Just a heads-up, as I am writing this the ending is kind of evolving, and now i have a really cool way to end it, but it kind of requires Gen VI not to exist for now. I know I already included Gen VII, but let's just pretend that's because Alola (Hawaii) is in between Kanto/Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh (Japan) and Unova (the US). Just keep that in mind. Enjoy the chapter!

Kat's POV

 _You have got to be kidding me. Somehow, by some stroke of luck, we end up being saved by the person who blinded Absol and left him to die. Well, I should probably say something since Sam is kind of just standing there._

Still holding the quivering Absol, I ask Sam, "So, uh, do you want to tell me what happened?' _I know that I know from Absol's point of view, but Sam's might be different. He seems very different from what Absol's memory showed._

Sam is unmoving, until a little girl walks in the room. "Hi Daddy! Uh, Mom said to meet her in the family room with everyone." She walks over to us, with Absol still shaking, but he seems to be calming down.

"Hi! What's your name? I'm Sarah."

"Hi! I'm Kat, and this is Absol." I motion to the white-furred pokémon who by now turns to face the young girl.

Surprisingly, instead of being scared of Absol's milky eyes, she smiles. She says, "Nice to meet you!" and pets the disaster pokémon on the head gently. She then prances out of the room, oblivious to her unmoving father and the equally unresponsive Absol.

Finally Sam says, "Alright, I guess we should go. I'll explain what happened later."

He walks out of the room, leaving me and the pokémon alone.

Espeon and Raichu, who have been silent during the whole ordeal, get up and walk towards the door. " _Come on, you should come. Besides, you want to see how Jake's doing, right?"_

With a small blush I nod but ask Absol softly, "Hey, are you sure you want to do this? If you don't want to, that's okay."

Absol thinks for a moment, then almost imperceptibly nods. "It's been thirty years. I've changed, and so has he. Let's go." Straining, he stands up and gingerly walks through the doorway.

* * *

As I and the rest of the pokémon walk into the fairly spacious room, I see Julia and Jake, who are visibly relieved to see me and the pokémon okay. Instinctively I hug Jake as well, despite everyone else there. I can feel my cheeks heat up, but I don't care. He's surprised, but reciprocates the hug.

As we separate, I can see Julia smirk out of the corner of my eye and the pokémon are smiling.

Sam begins, "Kat, this is my lovely wife Jane, and you already met our little Sarah."

"Nice to meet you." I respond. "Thanks for helping us."

She smiles. "It was no problem. She notices Absol's eyes and gasps. "My goodness! What happened to the poor creature?"

Sarah tilts her head in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong with Absol? He seems okay to me…"

Jane gently tells her daughter, "Absol is blind, which means that he can't see."

Sarah shudders. "But that means he won't see the blue sky, the green grass, or even the pretty flowers!"

Jane puts a hand on Sarah's shoulder, comforting her. "I know, baby girl. But I'm sure Absol is strong and will be okay."

To me, she asks, "Who would do such a thing?"

 _What do I tell her? That her husband of who knows how long used to be a sadistic trainer who starved, beat, and nearly killed pokémon? No, no, I can't tell her. He's a completely new person now with a wife and daughter. I can't take that away from him for a past he's tried so hard to forget._

"I don't know. He saved my life from some thugs in Saffron City, I saved his, and after that he decided to come with me."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Sam nervous, but calms down after I said that I don't know who did it. Which to him, is perfectly normal. Not many people can talk to their pokémon.

Julia looks out the window, then says, "Guys, we should go. It's going to rain soon, and it's still a bit far from the pokémon center.

Jane frowns. "No, it's too far for you to make it before it starts raining. Why don't you stay here for the night. We often get travelers between Saffron and Celadon, we don't mind.

I respond for all of us. "Thank you so much, not just for letting us stay but also for healing our pokémon."

I hear the pitter-patter of rain against the roof and windows as I talk. _Good thing we decided not to go._

Jane waves it off. "It was no problem. Besides, you helped a lot, fighting those ariados. Normally we rarely see any forest pokémon around here thanks to the ariados. The spiders themselves were too scared to get anywhere near, but there haven't been any other pokémon around here for a while."

Suddenly Jake gasps. "Scyther! She's still outside!"

He goes to the door and walks outside in the rain. "Wait! Do you even know where she is?" I ask, but he's already gone.

Jake's POV

The rain steadily beats down on me, soaking me, but I don't care. Right now Scyther probably isn't in the best shape and it's dangerous to be out in the rain, especially during a potential thunderstorm. Rubbing water out of my eyes, I try to look for the green insect which saved my life just a few hours ago. Unfortunately, the rain doesn't help me either, turning everything into a mass of green.

 _There!_ I spot the bug huddling pitifully underneath a tree. I walk over to her, and she tenses up before relaxing, seeing who I am.

"Hey, you know, you can come inside, where it's warm and dry. You don't have to be out here alone."

She gives it some thought, then nods her head and gets up. Together we make our way back to the house where everyone else is waiting with blankets.

"Jake! You know you shouldn't just run out like that! You just recovered from being poisoned! The last thing that I need is for you to get sick after that." Kat basically shouts at me after I walk in dripping with Scyther behind me.

Julia drapes a blanket around me, and Sam gets one for Scyther as well. It isn't until I'm near the crackling fireplace that I was shaking.

 _At least Scyther decided to come with me. Who knows what could've happened to her in the storm alone. Wait…_

I walk to my pack and pull out a pokéball. I decided after the whole incident with Teddiursa that it would be worth it to buy a few, just in case.

I walk over to Scyther, who is still shaking slightly even though near the fire. I hold out the pokéball to her, and ask, "Hey, do you want to come with me? If you don't want to that's okay, but it seems like you could use a friend."

She stares at the ball for a few moments, then at me, then gently taps the center. She turns into a beam of white light as she allows herself to be captured.

I quickly let her out, and she stands by the fire, no longer shivering. Nodding her thanks to me, she contently sits by the fire.

* * *

Kat's POV

Even though the sound of heavy rain can be heard throughout the house, there is a warm and comfortable atmosphere in the air. Sarah is currently playing with Teddiursa and Spearow, while most of the other pokémon are getting some rest in the room that Sam and Jane have so graciously given us.

"Hey, Kat." Sam says. I look up from watching Sarah play with the pokémon. "Yeah?"

"Do you mind coming with me? I want- no I need to talk a few things with you. Absol too."

Absol, who has been awake, jerks his head at the mention of his name. I pet him reassuringly. "Come on, let's see what he has to say." I whisper to him.

After we come to the same room where Sam healed everyone, he slowly closes the door. "I owe you an apology. You see, I froze up around Absol because of something that happened in my past many years ago."

"I was eleven and proud to go on my pokémon journey, and when I got my starter, a squirtle, things were never better. We would train together, get stronger, and grow as a family."

"Then they showed up. Older kids, around eighteen or so. They wanted a pokémon battle, and in my naivety, I accepted."

"Needless to say, I was beat. Badly. But they weren't done yet. Even though Squirtle could barely move, they continued to attack him. I couldn't do anything while they taunted me, saying that I was weak and worthless."

"And at the time, I was. I couldn't win the battle, and I couldn't help Squirtle. When they finally finished and left, I ran as fast as I could to the pokémon center. But…."

He chokes up, unable to continue. I can see tears out of the corner of his eyes. _Arceus, that's terrible._ "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to.

He wipes away his tears, his eyes filling with determination. "No, I'm okay. Anyways, from then on I vowed that I would only train pokémon for strength, to win. Friendship and bonds had no place in training; that only lead to failure. I pushed all memories of squirtle aside, forgetting my own starter for the sake of strength"

"So starting out with a kakuna that I found sleeping in the forest, I started over. Differently. Harsher, more demanding, just for my pokémon to get stronger. So I would never be helpless or weak again."

"At some point I managed to capture an Absol, and my already harsh training only became more ruthless as time went on. Eventually, I gave him a challenge that even he could not complete."

"Ironic, that the ending of my ruthless training run was ended by the very thing that I thought would help me: kakuna, or more accurately beedrill. After I left Absol, the gym leaders started to notice, and ask questions. It wasn't long before the police showed up at the pokémon center, where a Hypno was used to get the truth. Of course, you can't hide anything from psychics. I was tried, convicted, and jailed. Pokémon taken, reputation gone. My parents didn't support me and left me to survive on my own."

"And yet, as I was sitting in the juvenile detention center, I noticed something outside. A small oddish, curious, walked up to my barred window. At first I ignored it, until it started bringing friends. A caterpie, a few pidgey. Then he brought a squirtle."

"All at once, the memories that I've tried so hard to forget came rushing back, and I realized all the terrible things I've done." He looks at Absol, shaking and tearing up. "Absol, I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your life or take your sight. My own traumatic experiences didn't give me the right to hurt others."

He takes a deep breath. "I guess… I guess I'm just saying this to apologize. I don't expect you to forget, and certainly not to forgive. But, I still have to do it anyway. After all these years, those years and actions will stay with me no matter how many others I help."

Absol's POV

 _I mean, to say that I'm surprised is an understatement. For the past thirty years, I have been living on the streets alone and in the dark. But the dark is where I thrive. Without the cruelty of my former trainer I may have lived a happier life, but it wouldn't be the life I have now. For better or for worse, it happened, and I can't let that decide who I am._

"Kat, could you translate for me? I have something to say." I ask her.

She nods, then tells Sam, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I can talk to my pokémon and understand them. Absol has something to say to you, and asked me to translate."

 _Alright, here's my chance_ _._ "What my former trainer has done to me is unforgivable. He ruined my life, blinded me, and nearly killed me."

I pause and as Kat translates. Sam is silent, and I'm sure that he's not feeling too good. I'm not finished though.

"But…. you are clearly not that person. You have a good life and a family. Live it. The past is past; we can only look to the future. Well, you can." I chuckle a bit at my own joke (Hey, it was kinda funny). But in all seriousness, I don't hate you. Something terrible happened to you and it was me that helped you get back to the right path. My life is good now. I have a trainer and friends, despite my blindness. My only request is that you don't forget. Don't lose the memories that you have, good or bad. Because those memories shape us. Don't forget your squirtle, don't forget that oddish, and don't forget me. That being said, don't be afraid to live your life. Don't forget the memories you have, but don't be afraid to make new ones."

I don't feel or hear anything for a few moments. It's kind of unnerving not to hear anything but the steady beat of the rain on the roof. Suddenly I can feel someone hugging me, and I can tell it was Sam. His hands were more calloused than Kat's, but regardless I didn't recoil. Instead, I let the hug happen. He whispers in my ears, "Thank you, Absol. I'll live my life, but I will never forget you."

For some reason, I actually feel better after the hug and saying what I did. I think that after all this time both of us needed closure, and after thirty long years we are able to move on from our past and look to our future. I no longer need to be afraid of the man who once beat me, and he no longer has to be afraid of being haunted by the pokémon he nearly killed.

In the end, the past has already come and gone, and in my unfortunate case it left me in the dark. But hey, I'm a dark type, and it's where I'm strongest.

A/N Whooo! It's done! I actually had quite a bit of fun writing that chapter, and it opens up a potential side story if I feel like it. Anyways, I hope you don't mind Sam's past. But hey, this story's rated T for a reason. Thanks for reading! 


	28. Chapter 28 - Sparks of a Flame

A/N Hey everyone! I'm sorry I don't do this more often, but thanks to (and everyone else so far) for following and/or favoriting this story. This would not nearly be as fun to write without you guys with me. Speaking of which, I have to give a shoutout to Aminti and his stories Wanderlust and Evolving Stratagems. They are both amazing stories and deserve a lot more recognition than they get. If you're into good stories with good character development and a slower storyline, these stories are great. Anyways, here's the chapter. Enjoy!

Kat's POV

Fire. The city before me is burning, while the same Arceus with pitch-black eyes is causing chaos. The pokémon was fighting against the blue, pink, and white lights shined brightly as attacks flashed across. As I fly through the battle, I'm glad that none of those involved can see me; that would be bad.

Suddenly the white light stops in front of me, and I can see myself, glowing with white power. I recoil just before she zips away. _What the heck?_ My attention is drawn to a swirling black mass of a pokémon, heavily injured and bruised. He slowly floats up to me as the battle rages on, and asks in a pained voice, "Do you understand?"

Suddenly a large black mass appears in front of Arceus, and a stormy mass of darkness and fire explodes outwards, consuming the lights, and eventually enveloping me and the mysterious black pokémon in burning darkness.

I open my eyes with a gasp, sweaty and afraid. Beside me the egg is radiating heat, enough that I can feel it from a few feet away. _I hope that means it's going to hatch soon_.

On my right Absol stirs, startled. He looks around, searching for danger, but I pet him gently. "Hey, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." He lies down but looks at me, concerned. "I promise you, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Internally, however, the black pokémon's words ring in my ears. " _Do you understand?"_ _What does that mean? What was that pokémon? And why is that the second time I've had that dream?"_

Espeon gently jumps on the bed on my other side. " _Are you sure? You've been having a few nightmares lately."_

"I'm fine, I promise."

Espeon frowns. " _You're not a very convincing liar, you know that?"_ Her tail snaps sharply. " _Seriously, you should tell somebody. Me, the others, Jake, Julia, we're all here for you."_

 _Should I? I mean, they're my friends. It's probably not a good idea to keep this secret._ "Al-alright. I've been having nightmares, but they're not just nightmares. They almost feel like visions."

Espeon frowns. " _That's not good. Considering how much other crazy stuff is going on, I can only guess that your nightmares are indicators of the calamity that you have to solve."_

"Well, you're not wrong." I tell her. "In my 'visions' I see Viridian City burning under the wrath of Arceus, but not entirely Arceus. His eyes were soulless and void of any emotion except anger and rage. Three lights opposed him: one pink, one blue, and one white. Last night the white light stopped for a brief moment in front of me, and I saw myself."

" _Well, you better get ready for it. Seems that future you has to fight God."_

I look out the window of the room that Sam and his family were so kind to let us stay in overnight. The storm has stopped, and the trees glisten with raindrops. As usual I see Lucario up practicing some martial arts moves and Jake collecting some random berries from the forest with Scyther. _I guess that's what he's been doing. I'll just ask him about it later._

I slowly roll out of the bed, Espeon and Absol behind me. Raichu groggily stirs awake, but Spearow's out like a light. I'll let him sleep in after yesterday. After changing, I take the egg with me which feels pleasantly warm to touch. I walk outside the cabin and over to Jake. He looks at me in surprise. "Hey Kat, didn't expect to see you up yet. Why're you up so early?"

"I just needed some fresh air. Nice to see you and Scyther getting along. Where's Wooper?"

"Oh he's still sleeping. The battle yesterday really tired him out." He looks at the egg cradled in my arms. "Is it safe to carry that out here?

"I'm sure it's fine. Besides, the egg is really warm. I think it's going to-"

A bright light cuts me off as the egg starts to glow. I quickly place it on the ground and take a step back.

When the light fades, I move closer and see a small red fox with a single tail open her eyes for the first time. She looks up at me with wide, curious eyes.

As I gently pick her up she clings to my chest, still staring at me. Still in my arms, she looks around at Espeon and Jake, who are staring.

Jake speaks up first. "Whoa. I've never seen a baby Vulpix before. Who knew that they only had one tail?"

"Yeah, that's new to me too. But she's adorable." The little fox in my arms starts whining and pawing at my shirt. "Awe, what's wrong?"

" _I'm pretty sure she's just hungry."_

Suddenly my stomach growls as well. Sheepishly I say, "Well, I guess I'm hungry too. Let's head back for breakfast."

* * *

When we walk in the quaint cabin, Julia's eyes widen. "Did the egg hatch? Oh my gosh, she's so cute!" Vulpix looks at her, but then paws at my shirt again. "Yeah, she is, although I think she's just hungry right now."

I quickly get some pokémon food out, but before I could give any to her Jake pulls out a few berries, squeezes the juice out of them into a bowl, and hands it over to me. _Huh? Why's he doing that?_ Seeing my confused look, he says, "Baby pokémon don't have teeth and won't be able to eat solid food for a while. Berry juice should be fine for now."

 _Oh, well that makes sense. Duh._ Shifting Vulpix to one arm I take the bowl and slowly tip the contents into the fox's mouth, who drinks happily. Once she's finished I wipe some berry juice off her mouth and she cries contently.

Sarah runs down the stairs. "Good morning! Mom and Dad told me to tell you that they will be up soon to make breakfast."

Jake says, "No, they don't have to do that. I don't know about Kat and Julia, but I actually know how to cook a little. It's the least we can do.

The little girl thinks for a bit, then says, "Okay! I'll tell mom and dad though." She then runs up the stairs.

I turn to Jake. "You know how to cook?" In mock indignation I ask, "So you're saying that we didn't have to live off of trail mix for this entire time?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Uh, I never really could bring a full kitchen with me, but I could try." To both me and Julia, he asks, "Do you want to help?"

Julia smiles. "Sure! I'm not very good, but I can try."

I shake my head. "Probably not a good idea. The last time I tried to cook something I nearly burned down the house."

He laughs. "Really? What were you making?"

I playfully smack his arm. "It's not important. Just know I probably shouldn't try to cook anything anytime soon."

"You might want to learn how to at some point. Why don't you try, and I'll make sure you don't burn down the place."

"Alright, alright. But I make no promises that I won't screw up."

* * *

After about 10 minutes of Jake telling me and Julia (but mostly me) what to do, I successfully made some oatmeal with a few oran berries without burning the house down. Jake afterwards quickly made some eggs and toast for our hosts.

"Oh my! You didn't have to so that!" Jane says as she comes into the kitchen.

"It's the least we can do for letting us stay here last night." Jake says as he starts getting some food for himself and his pokémon, while Julia and I do the same.

Sam comes down surprised at the food that's already on the table. "Good morning. You're too kind. You didn't have to cook breakfast for all of us."

I smile. "It was the least we could do. After all, you did heal our pokémon and let us stay overnight. This was nothing."

Sarah notices the baby fox that I'm holding again once I finished "cooking". "Wow, what is that pokémon?"

"It's a vulpix, and she just hatched from an egg this morning."

She tilts her head. "How do you know?"

"Uh, I don't actually know. I can just kind of know. And if not, they'll correct me at some point."

Satisfied with that answer, Sarah runs off while Jane and Sam look over and smile. Sam says, "Congratulations. I can already tell that you're going to be great with her." He looks wistfully at Absol, but turns back to Vulpix. "Just be careful and patient with her."

"Yeah," I agree. "She's going to be a great addition to the family."

As everyone sits around the table and digs in, I glance over at my pokémon who are all happy and eating with their friends. _This is nice to just unwind and relax for a bit._

* * *

After saying goodbye to Sam, Jane, and Sarah, the three of us set off through the still damp trail to Celadon. Vulpix is in my arms while the rest of the pokémon walk alongside us.

Absol out of nowhere tackles Espeon off the trail. "What-" is all I can say before the ground beneath me starts to cave in. _Oh crap._ As I fall I hug Vulpix close to my chest, determined to protect her.

Thankfully the ground beneath is fairly soft, and with a groan I sit up, seeing Vulpix fine, but looking at me with concern. "I'm alright girl" I whisper to her, then look around. Jake is slowly getting up, while Julia is being put down gently by Lucario, who caught her before everyone fell.

I ask, "Hey, are you guys okay?"

"Ugh, yeah. A little banged up, but I'll live." Jake replies. Julia shakily says, "Ye-yeah. I'm okay. Thanks Lucario." Her eyes dart around fearfully, unusual for the normally calm ranger-in-training.

I look up and see three pairs of eyes look down at the hole. _Whew. At least Absol and Espeon got out, and Spearow could just fly. Although, he isn't strong enough to pull any of us out._

I call up to them. "Hey, can you try to find help? Celadon shouldn't be too far away."

"Spear!" The plucky flying type takes off, while Absol and Espeon stay.

Taking a look around the hole we all fell in, I notice something unusual. The hole was not only on a fairly well-maintained path, but the walls were also smooth. _This can't be good. Well, all we can do now is wait for Spearow to come back._

Suddenly a pink flash shoots across the opening. "Espeon? What's going on?" Suddenly a stream of fire passes over the opening. _That's not good._ Unsure if she'll hear me with the battle going on above, I think, " _Espeon, can you hear me? What's going on?"_ A second passes before I hear " _Rocket ambush, Spearow not back yet."_ A pause follows as a dark wave of energy flies over the hole. " _Should be okay, they aren't too strong. As long as they don't get more help."_

While I know that my pokémon can handle themselves, I still don't like that I can't do anything. Suddenly more fire shoots over the hole, but a strong wind pushes it back. _Yes, Spearow arrived. Hopefully with help._

I hear Espeon, her mental voice strained but otherwise okay. " _That's the last of them. Absol's keeping them contained. Spearow said that Celadon is nowhere in sight; there won't be any help from them. Looks like we have to find a way to get you- AAAHHHH"_

A bolt of lightning flies over our heads, and I hear my pokémon's cries of pain as what I presume is an electric attack shocks them all.

"No!" I cry out, with everyone else looking worried. _Wait, I've been able to use the moves of my pokméon. Through Spearow, I can fly. Come on! My pokémon are counting on me._ My friends look at me weirdly as I concentrate, trying to focus on Spearow. The lovable bird that I found alone and afraid, which somewhat stalked me before finally joining us. The loyal friend who would do anything to help his family, old or new.

Finally I feel something, similar to the previous times yet more airy and flexible. I gently give Vulpix to Jake, and try to grow the feeling of weightlessness, until my friends and our pokémon take a step back. I look behind me and see that the air around my back is shimmering almost in the shape of wings. I grin and shoot up, charging a Thunderbolt in my hands. _Those Rockets won't know what hit them._

A/N Whew, it's done. Sorry (not sorry) about the cliffhanger, but I needed to have something there before Celadon so I threw this in. I hope the growth of Kat's powers isn't too quick, but hey it has to happen eventually, and near life-threatening events are a good motivator. Until next week, AgentLucario out!


	29. Chapter 29 - Spread your Wings

A/N Hey everyone I'm back! So now we start really getting into the plot of this story... kind of. There's still a few gyms to go through until the big finale, but we're getting there. Thanks to OhMyGevalt, Rainbow-unicorns01, and TruBlu Ozzie for following! It really helps out a lot, and thanks to all you guys! Enjoy!

Espeon's POV

Everything is calm and peaceful, until Absol, who is next to me, tackles me off the path. As we tumble on the grass I instinctively send out a psychic push, but it doesn't affect the dark-type.

I get up on my feet and watch as Kat, Raichu, and the others fall through the ground which I was standing on seconds ago. I, Absol, and Spearow (who landed from the air) peer down the pit on my trainer and friends. Thankfully they don't seem too injured if a bit disoriented.

"Hey, can you try to find help? Celadon shouldn't be too far away." Kat calls up. I nod at Spearow, who takes off.

After a few seconds Absol turns to the forest, horn lit with a Night Slash. He intercepts a burst of flame headed straight for me. _This isn't good._ Another stream of fire emerges from the forest and I blast it back with a psychic pulse.

"Espeon? What's going on?" Kat calls out. I don't have time to respond as multiple Flamethrowers come towards me. Instead of blocking them all, I jump right and only deflect the attack that would hit me. I can now see the growlithes who attacked us. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Absol dealing with more growlithes on the other side. Thankfully, they don't seem that strong, but I do see the people behind them with red 'R's on their chest.

" _Espeon, can you hear me? What's going on?"_ Kat's thoughts reach me. One growlithe braver than the others charges at me, and I shove him back with Psychic. Trying to concentrate on the others, I shortly respond, " _Rocket ambush, Spearow not back yet."_

A gust of wind blows behind me and I see some flickering embers that were blown away by Spearow. "Celadon's nowhere in sight, but I heard the fighting and flew back." _Alright, now we can actually start taking these dogs out._

With Spearow's help, Absol quickly and ruthlessly cuts through the growlithes, jumping over flamethrowers and slashing with his horn blazing. Spearow and I make sure that no attacks or pokémon get near him as he knocks them out one by one.

Finally, all of the growlithes are finally knocked out, lying on the ground in pain. The Rockets return their pokémon angrily, and Absol stares them down, unnerving them.

I tell Kat, " _That's the last of them. Absol's keeping them contained. Spearow said that Celadon is nowhere in sight; there won't be any help from them. Looks like we have to find a way to get you-"_

A lightning bolt flies out of the trees and shocks me. I scream in pain, cutting off what I was saying. When it ends, I lie on the ground, unable to move. I can see that Spearow took the attack much worse than I did. The poor bird is unconscious with his wings smoking. I can't see Absol, and I can only hope that he's okay.

A Rocket with a more stylized 'R' on his chest emerges with an electivire at his side. He smiles sadistically at us. "My, my, what an impressive group of pokémon. Not many can defeat that many grunts in such a short amount of time. But, all things must come to an end. You're coming with me, and the boss wants your trainer for some reason."

He steps back, startled, as a Thunderbolt flies over me straight towards the Rocket, until his electivire intercepts it. _Raichu?_ A Night Slash flies over as well, hitting the electivire and knocking it backwards. I manage to get up shakily and turn my head, seeing Kat glowing with energy and she looked _pissed._

The electivire charges in close, but Kat glows white and easily moves out of the way. Unfortunately for her, the electivire is lightning-fast and hits her with a Brick Break, sending her rolling across the field. Electivire starts charging at her, glowing yellow with electricity.

 _No!_ I may not be able to move, but I could still use Psychic. I lock onto Electivire and shove, forcing him to trip and stumble right past her. Exhausted, I collapse again, unable to really think or move. I close my eyes and let the darkness take over.

Kat's POV

 _Ugh, what hit in the world hit me?_ I shake my head to try to clear it. Then I remember. _Oh crap, the electivire._ Ignoring my burning muscles, I shakily get up, and see the electivire charging me covered in electricity when suddenly a pink outline appears around him and he's shoved off to the side and stumbles next to me. I see Espeon collapse from exhaustion and her injuries a little ways away. Spearow is out as well while Absol is standing, but on his last legs.

I quickly return my three injured pokémon to safety, and turned to the electivire which had gotten up. He charges at me again, and I fly upwards, land behind him, and Night Slash his legs. He cries out in pain and falls on one knee. I look angrily at the leader, who still looks confident.

He pulls out a pokéball and returns electivire. "Pathetic. I expected you to be able to beat a little girl." He pulls out another. "I don't know why the boss is so interested in you. Sure, you can use some flashy moves, but that won't work against me. Bastiodon!"

A huge bulky quadruped appears with a thick shield-like face. "Earthquake!" As the ground starts to move I just fly up on my airy wings. Smirking, I ask, "Is that all you got?"

The Rocket doesn't respond to my jab, but just calls out "Rock Blast!" Large rocks fly towards me, and I try to dodge them. I manage to weave around the first two, but the third comes straight for me and I don't have enough time to move.

I close my eyes and brace myself, but there is no impact. The rock is hovering in front of me with a pink glow. _Wait, of course, Espeon._ I launch the rock back at the surprised tank-pokémon, who shrugs it off with no sign of discomfort.

"Again!" This time four rocks fly towards me. I try to catch them all, but one breaks through and glances my arm, jarring me and breaking my concentration. _Gah! Okay, I still have limits. Can't just catch every rock._

I rub my bruised arm and stare at the bastiodon with determination. Two more rocks fly at me, and I easily dodge them and fire a Thunderbolt. Bastiodon grunts, but doesn't show any sign of injury. I guess I just have to keep dodging for now. _How am I going to get out of this one…_

Julia's POV

Well, I feel useless right about now. I'm stuck in a hole and I can't stop shivering with Lucario holding me close. Jake and the other pokémon are too concerned with what's going on above us to notice me. I know that I don't have anything to be afraid of (at least, for now) but I can't stop remembering.

The darkness. The cold. Alone.

Lucario gently shakes me, and I snap back to the present. Suddenly, the ground starts to shake, and loose dirt floats off of the walls. _What…?_

Suddenly, the dirt on the walls start falling on us, if not for Lucario who blasted the dirt before it could reach us. With the uneven surface, Pikachu nimbly hops up along the walls to the surface, while Lucario picks me up gently and starts climbing the walls as well.

Jake returns Wooper and Scyther, whose wing was injured during the fall. Not long after I'm at the surface and out of the ground Lucario leaps down and gets Jake as well.

Kat's POV

 _When will he just give up?_ Rocks continue to whiz by me as I dodge and deflect the numerous projectiles. The behemoth doesn't seem to be giving up, while his trainer is just watching, amused. I stare at him defiantly when there is a pause. _If you're not going to give up, neither am I._

I look back only to see Bastiodon being launched across the path by a very angry Lucario, literally glowing blue with energy. I sigh in relief. _My friends got out okay._

The Rocket stares with annoyance. "How did you get out?" he says to himself. "No matter. Infernape, Vespiquen, take care of these fools.

As a monkey with a blazing flame on his head and a giant bee (not a beedrill) appear, I mentally check who can fight. Lucario clearly can, Raichu is itching for a fight, and I don't know about Wooper. Scyther, Espeon, Absol, and Spearow are too hurt, and Teddiursa and Vulpix are still too young to fight.

I return Vulpix to her pokéball before she could get hurt, and land behind our pokémon next to Jake and Julia. Dodging all those rocks tired me out more than I thought it did.

The Rocket takes the first move. "Infernape, Fire Blast. Vespiquen, Attack Order." A five-pronged burst of fire and a swarm of mini-bees come towards us.

"Thunderbolt!"

Julia makes no command, but Lucario sends out an Aura Sphere to intercept anyways. The attacks lock in a stalemate before exploding, creating a large smoke cloud.

The explosion brings Julia back to the battle, and she tells Lucario, "Dark Pulse!" Lucario's eyes glow blue before sending out a blast of darkness, eliciting a grunt from Infernape and a cry of pain from Vespiquen. _Why wasn't Infernape hurt that much?_

"Close Combat, Heal Order!" _Oh, that's why. Must be a fighting type._ As Infernape charges at Lucario and begins brutally attacking him, Lucario stays calm, dodging punch after punch. _Vespiquen isn't going to do anything, so…_ "Raichu, Quick Attack!"

Raichu blurs, crashing into Infernape, giving Lucario an opening. The jackal fights back with a vengeance, putting Infernape on the defensive.

 _Now to deal with Vespiquen._ "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

The bolt of lightning hits the bee and her surrounding drones, but she shakes it off like it's nothing. Both Raichu and I are shocked. "What…?"

The rocket laughs. "While you were worrying about Infernape, I just had Vespiquen use Defend Order over and over again. You won't be able to scratch her."

Meanwhile Lucario punches Infernape away, but the fire monkey is grinning. Looking at Lucario, I see why. The aura pokémon drops to one knee, fur smoldering, and panting. _This isn't looking good. I'm still pretty tired and there's no way Raichu could take on both Vespiquen and Infernape._

A blast of water hits Infernape, but it doesn't seem to hurt him at all despite the typing. I see Wooper flinch from his attack doing nothing and Infernape grins.

"So will you give up? Your pathetic pokémon can't do anything."

"N- not happening. I'm not backing down." _Although, I don't know what we can do. Most of our pokémon are exhausted or injured and his look perfectly fine._

"Fine. Fire Blast!"

A stream of fire comes towards Raichu and I, and I try to block it when I feel a splitting pain in my head. I fall over, only able to watch as the five-pronged blast of fire shoots towards Raichu and me.

 _ **WHOOSH**_

A strong gust of wind blows over us and disperses the attack to embers. To my surprise Luke drops down in front of me, and I can almost feel his anger coming off of him.

"Enough! I won't let you do any more harm. Typhlosion!"

A pokémon very similar to but larger than quilava forms, his back roaring with flames. Both Infernape and Vespiquen seem to take a step back at the sheer power.

The rocket's eyes narrow. "I was not expecting you. Poliwrath, help out!" A muscular blue biped with a swirl on his chest appears. However, Luke and Typhlosion do not seem phased in the slightest.

In fact, Luke just smirks (and I get the feeling that Typhlosion was as well). "Do you really think that's going to help? Typhlosion, let our spirits shine bright!"

Then both of them start to glow in a bright light, forcing me to look away. When it stops and I see them, my jaw drops. The Rocket and his pokémon look extremely nervous at the G-man and his partner, and I don't blame them. _They are in serious trouble now._

A/N So... there's a really important plot point here, see if you can find it. (hint, look at chapter 25, heh heh). Anyways, until next time! See ya!


	30. Chapter 30 - Heroes of Old

A/N Hey everyone! Sorry for the kind of late update but I had a track meet today, which took a really long time. Anyways, I hope that everyone had a good Easter! Aside from getting the chance to spend time with family and friends, I had a lot of time to write! So enjoy! Also, thanks to Katelynn Snow Fox for favoriting and following! I don't know if you watch the flash or not and if it's a reference, but my whole family (my sister particularly) love watching it. Anyways, nice to know that people are enjoying what I'm writing. Enjoy the chapter!

Kat's POV

 _Wh-what is that?_ I stare at the transformed typhlosion before me. The volcano pokémon is a little bigger and stockier, but the biggest difference is that he now has two blue flames on his front legs and his back flame blazes a brilliant bluish-green. Even from more than a few feet away I can feel the overwhelming heat of the behemoth in front of me.

The once confident Rocket snarls. "Poliwrath, Hydro Pump! Infernape, Vacuum Wave! Vespiquen, Attack Order!"

The three attacks come flying at Typhlosion, but the transformed pokémon does not seem concerned at all.

"Flame Burst." A massive wall of flame emerges from Typhlosion's throat as it causes an explosion and a smokescreen once colliding with the attacks. _No way. Typhlosion's one attack managed to stalemate three powerful ones. How powerful is he?_

"Flamethrower." I can't see anything through the smoke still, but I can hear two distinct grunts and a pained cry. Once the smoke clears Vespiquen is out cold while Infernape and Poliwrath are injured, but still able to fight.

"Damn it! Come on, Poliwrath Focus Blast! Infernape follow up with Close Combat!"

"Ignis Slash." _What kind of move is that?_ The two flames on Typhlosion's front legs burn with greater intensity, growing to be two blazing blades of fire. He stands on his hind legs and slashes, slicing through the Focus Blast with ease with one 'arm' and knocking Infernape away with the other. The fire monkey does not get up, defeated with just two attacks.

Poliwrath defiantly looks at Typhlosion, eyes narrowing. His trainer, however, has other ideas. "Poliwrath, return!" The frog disappears in a beam of light, while the Rocket pulls out another pokéball. "Xatu, teleport!"

Before anyone could do anything, a bird appears before vanishing with the Rocket.

Typhlosion and Luke glow briefly before Typhlosion goes back to his regular self with red-orange flames.

Jake and Julia run to me and help me stand up, with Raichu still staring at Typhlosion and Luke. I can kind of stand up although I still have a slight headache, so I'm glad for my friends' help. After returning the fire-type, Luke looks at me with a frown. "You should get to a pokémon center. You all should. Charizard and Pidgeot can both take two passengers.

He releases the fire dragon and Pidgeot lands from the air, gesturing for Julia and I to get on. I carefully sit on the bird with Julia behind me and Raichu on my lap, and Pidgeot takes off slowly, gradually picking up speed. For some reason I don't feel very much wind, but when I look closer I can actually see the wind bending around Pidgeot. I take a glance backwards and snicker as I see Jake looking extremely annoyed, struggling to keep his eyes open against the wind. _I guess Pidgeot can control the winds a bit better, heh heh._

* * *

Quickly a city comes into view, and Pidgeot gently slows down until we're right in front of the pokémon center. Julia and I dismount a little shakily as I try to find my balance. The headache is still there but a little more manageable.

I half-stumble into the building with Raichu by my side but when I open the door Nurse Joy gasps. "Mew, what happened to you?"

"I-I'm fine, although my pokémon need help." I gingerly let Vulpix out and take three of my four other pokéballs off of my belt, trying to avoid using the arm that was hit by a rock earlier.

The nurse quickly takes them and hands them to a chansey before taking my good wrist gently but firmly. "You're not fine. You look like a mess. Come on, let's get you patched up." Deciding not to argue I go along with the nurse and for the first time in a while I have the chance to take a break and not worry about myself or my friends being in danger.

"I'm going to spray some disinfectant on your arm, which might sting a bit." I just nod as she applies the medicine, wincing slightly but otherwise it's not that bad. While the nurse gently wraps a bandage around my arm, I realize something.

 _Wait… Luke and his Typhlosion… didn't the president of Silph Co. say that the first champion of Arceus had a typhlosion? And that they had the power to… what was it… bond their souls or something, similar to whatever mega-evolution is? And Typhlosion transformed… but there's no way that Luke could be the same person; the president heard of him when he was young, and he's definitely older than Luke… just what is going on?_

" _Hey, are you okay?"_ Espeon breaks me out of my thoughts as she walks in. The nurse doesn't seem to mind as she doesn't get too close. " _Yeah, just thinking about things."_

Espeon flicks her tail, slightly annoyed. " _You know, you can just ask him. It's not that difficult."_

" _Wha- how did you… never mind. You're probably inside my head again. Okay, I'll just casually ask the guy who saved us if he's some legend from probably hundreds of years ago."_

"You're all set, by the way. Your arm should be okay in a day or two, just try not to strain it. That means no hard battling or getting into fights, okay? Training should be fine as long as you're not training with them. I know a few trainers who like to do that."

"Huh? Oh, sorry, thanks a lot!"

The nurse gives me a warm smile. "No problem. I'm guessing you're talking to Espeon right now, so I'll leave you two alone." As she leaves, I can hear her mutter, "Still don't get half of the things psychic pokémon can do…" I smile internally. _If only you knew it's not just Espeon..._

Espeon's voice appears in my head again. " _I mean, how crazy is that? You are a sixteen-year old girl who can fly, move things with her mind, and shoot lightning bolts. The world got a lot crazier once I found you."_

" _True… wait what do you mean by 'found' me? I thought my dad chose you"_

My starter giggles in my head. " _You mean I wouldn't stop following him until he took me in? For some reason I knew that I had to go with him, and after a few weeks he finally took me and gave me to you."_

" _I believe it, considering the energetic furball you were just a month ago."_

" _Yeah... certainly a lot has changed in the past few months. Anyways, you should talk to Luke. Like now before he leaves again or something."_

" _Okay, okay, I'm going."_ I gingerly get up and make my way to the waiting area of the pokémon center to see my friends and pokémon waiting for me. Vulpix jumps into my arms and I instinctively catch her before wincing and shifting her to take the weight off of my injured arm.

"Vul?" The newborn's eyes stare at me with concern. I manage to crack open a smile. . "Don't worry about it, I'm okay." Content with my answer she promptly closes her eyes and her breathing slows, falling asleep almost instantly.

Trying not to disturb the sleeping fox in my arms, I quietly ask, "Hey, do you guys know where Luke went?"

Julia responds, "He just left. You might catch him if you hurry."

"Thanks!" With that, Espeon and I (and Vulpix, I guess) trot out of the pokémon center, hoping that we didn't miss him again.

I look around, but don't see a sign of the blue-cloaked G-men agent. Slightly annoyed that I didn't find him, I turn to go back inside.

"I was wondering when you would come out." _Huh?_

I turn towards the voice and see Luke standing in the shade of a tree, almost completely hidden. He steps out into the warm sunlight and sits down on the grass. "Come on, sit down. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask me."

I sit down across from Luke with Espeon lying down next to me and Vulpix snoozing away. Before he can say anything, I ask him, "Are you a champion of Arceus?"

He blinks, then laughs. "Hey!" I say in mock indignation. "It was a serious question!"

He manages to calm down, then says. "No, I'm not the champion of Arceus. That title belongs to you."

"Huh? But I heard the president of Silph Co say something about a legend about a champion of Arceus who could bond with their typhlosion and do something called mega evolve, whatever that means. But I'm pretty sure your typhlosion did that."

"Well… that was me, but I'm no champion of Arceus."

"Then how were you-"

"Let me finish. In the beginning of emptiness, Arceus hatched from the first pokémon egg. Out of the darkness he was born into, he created the universe out of time and space. Knowing that he alone would not be able to control the entirety of the universe, he created the first pokémon, Dialga and Palkia, to rule time and space."

But Dialga and Palkia quickly got into a fight which threatened the state of his new universe. So he created Giratina to rule over antimatter, to create a balance between not only Dialga and Palkia but over time and space as well.

Over time Arceus created the earth, giving control of the elements to multiple legendaries, and eventually creating Mew to create both humans and pokémon to inhabit the earth. Everything was peaceful: pokémon and humans lived in harmony, and there was very little conflict in the world. Deciding that the world he created was good, Arceus went into a slumber, exhausted after creating the universe.

Of course, humans have to screw things up. Evil humans began to enslave the pokémon with barbaric technology. The pokéball has not been invented so swords and clubs were used to 'tame' pokémon. Neither the humans nor the pokémon alone could defeat the power of the pokémon behind the strategy of the humans, so eventually the first pokémon trainers found partners and fought back.

Despite the bravery of many humans and pokémon, the civil war would not end. Most of the legendary pokémon have fled, afraid of the humans, while thousands of humans and pokémon died as a result of the conflict. There was one legendary, however, who did not run away or hide. This pokémon was Dialga, the lord of time.

He could see into the past and the future and know what needed to happen. So he entrusted a certain individual with a plucky quilava who refused to give up the power they needed to turn the tide of the war. And we did."

By this point I am completely captivated by Luke's story, and Espeon sat up at some point, listening intently.

"Once the war was over, however, Dialga was not finished with me and my pokémon friends. He told us of a conflict that was to happen centuries in the future, where the entire world around us would be different. A conflict so large that it attracted the attention of the Original One himself. We were not to be the heroes, but mentors to a future champion, the champion of Arceus."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "So… so you're like supposed to teach me or something?"

"Yeah. My job is to get you ready for what's coming up ahead."

"Well, what is up ahead?"

Luke chuckles. "Nice try. I may be Dialga's champion, but he doesn't tell me everything. Just where I need to be and what I need to do."

A thought occurs to me. "Wait… if you're this powerful why didn't you do anything at Silph?"

He sighs and raises his hands. "Alright, you got me. I was instructed by Dialga to let you and your friends handle it. I might have been feigning unconsciousness." _So you're telling me that I didn't have to almost die to a Shadow Claw to the throat?_

 ***SLAP***

Luke rubs his stinging cheek, more surprised than hurt. "Hey, what was that for?"

I practically shriek "That was for almost getting me killed!" That stupid persian flashes across my vision for a moment, but it's gone just as quick as it appeared. My voice drops down to a whisper. "I would have died up there if it weren't for Raichu evolving."

Vulpix unfortunately woke up from my outburst, and looks at me with fear in her eyes. Immediately all thoughts and fears of what happened up there vanish as I remember that I'm in a safe field with my pokémon and friends.

He moves closer to me and puts his arm around me. "Hey, it's okay. I don't necessarily agree with Dialga's methods, but I did know you would be alright. Besides, with what's coming up you have to be prepared with the prospect of death. Besides, the odds of one of your friends or pokémon dying is a lot smaller nowadays with modern medicine and all that.

 _I guess... wait, he was in a civil war with no pokémon centers, no pokéballs, and very little medicine? How did he fight through that and survive?_

"Luke, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No, no, I deserved it. I shouldn't have just left you to deal with the head of the biggest criminal organization in Kanto. Dialga… well, he means well but it's been a while since he's had any actual interactions with humans besides me. I'll mention it the next time I see him. Can't have the girl who's supposed to save the world broken or dead, right?"

Despite the morbidness of his remark, I smile. "Yeah. That would be bad." I pause for a bit, then ask, "You can talk with Dialga?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Kinda. It comes and goes, but when trying to communicate with a pokémon that exists at every moment in time it's a bit complicated. But he is pushing me and you in the right direction so we don't let the world be destroyed."

"That bad, huh? Who knew that the fate of the world would fall in the hands of a sixteen year-old girl and a guy who's over a million years old."

"For the record, I am actually only 32. It's just that I was born about 200 years before the term pokémon was first used."

I chuckle. "Still calling you old."

He huffs, then gets up. "Come on, it's time for you to head back. Your friends are waiting."

"Huh? You're not staying with us?"

He shakes his head. "Nope. Sorry, but it's really hard to argue with a pokémon that knows the past and future. Believe me, I've tried. I will see you soon though."

Before stepping through the doors, I turn to tell him goodbye, but he vanishes. _Just how does he do that?_

Espeon's thoughts make their way into mine again. " _I'm guessing some manipulation of time. Or he's secretly a ninja. One of the two."_

" _A ninja? Where did you get that?"_

" _What? Ninjas are really old. And mysterious. And powerful."_

" _Fine, fine. But I'm not calling him a ninja. It's just… weird. But hey, at least we know that there is someone who knows the future that is watching out for us."_

" _Sure. Have the confidence that some super-powerful pokémon with the ability to control time basically foresaw that you would almost die at least three times during your journey."_

" _...I know. But as long as you guys and my friends are safe, I'll be happy for now."_

" _Aww, that's sweet. But seriously, you might want to stop before you run into Jake."_

I stop immediately a few seconds from colliding into my friend and take a step back. Thankfully he didn't notice. "Hey!"

Raichu winks at me (of course he had to notice) as my friends turn around. "Hey Kat, did you find him? You were out for quite a while."

"Yeah, and there's a lot I have to talk to you guys about." Vulpix gently paws at my chest, a signal that she's hungry. Now that I think about it, I've had a long day and am pretty hungry myself. "Over dinner. My pokémon and I are starving."

A/N So what do you guys think? Did I explain an origin of the universe and Kat/Luke's powers sufficiently well? This all seems good in my head, but honestly I don't know how good it is on paper (or screen, I guess). Regardless, I'm going to keep moving forwards and keep writing. Although, I just glanced back at my first chapters and actually cringed. I'm going to go back and rewrite them just so I don't turn off people who read my amateur work (even if it was only 9 months ago or so). Well, that's it from me. Have a nice day!


	31. Chapter 31 - Celadon City

A/N Hey everyone! I know it's been a while, but AP week is finally over, and I still have so much stuff to do. Seriously the only time I get to write is in my US History class. Anyways, hopefully I will be able to return to my biweekly schedule, but I'll keep you all updated. Thanks to InfinityGamer104 and TwilightMelodic favoriting and following; it helps a lot. Enjoy the chapter!

Kat's POV

After being attacked by Team Rocket and finding out that my whole destiny is already determined by a pokémon who controls time, taking a day off just to relax is going to be amazing. Apparently there is a huge department store that you can buy anything. My parents are not super wealthy, but managed to give me a decent amount of money to buy food and other necessities, although thankfully food at pokémon centers is free for trainers, so I have a bit of cash saved up. To be honest, I don't really know what I would really need but it doesn't hurt to look.

Although we would rather have our pokémon walk beside us, the crowded streets of Celadon City makes me and my friends return all of our pokémon except for Lucario, who is tall enough to walk with us, and Raichu, who hops on my shoulder.

RIght now I'm just trying to follow Jake who remembered to get a map before looking for the apparently famous department store. I've never heard of it, but then again I lived a pretty quiet life in the suburbs of Viridian until I started this journey.

At a stop light I turn to Raichu, breathing heavily. "You know... you really can't keep doing this. You're a lot bigger than before." The large mouse just smirks smugly. As the light turns green, I'm forced to ignore the heavy weight on my shoulder to avoid losing my friends in the crowd.

It turns out that we didn't need the map. The three (four including Lucario) miraculously get through the crowd without losing each other and arrive at the the tallest building in the city. Not as tall as the Silph Co. building, but pretty close.

Thankfully the store is surprisingly quiet and empty compared to the noisy streets. Raichu finally hops off my shoulder, and I let Vulpix out. A store clerk shoots me a glare, but doesn't say anything. Holding the tiny fox in my arms, I look around and gape at all the stores within the massive building. Vulpix stares in wonder at all the bright flashing lights of advertisements.

Jake asks, "So what are you going to buy?" I continue to look around, seeing advertisements for all kinds of trainer items, like potions, pokéballs, something called technical machines, and other miscellaneous items. Julia answers first.

"I'm going to look for a luxury ball for Teddiursa, and an expert belt for Lucario."

"Sorry, what's a luxury ball?" I ask. "It seems like a pokéball."

"It's a pokéball designed to be more comfortable for pokémon. They're a bit expensive, but from what I heard they're worth it."

 _That might be a good idea to invest in. Besides, I don't know what else I would spend my money on._ "Okay, I think I'll come with you. Maybe I can finally get Raichu in a pokéball in case of emergency." I rub my sore shoulder to prove the point.

Seeing Raichu's mortified face, I rub his fur gently. "Hey, don't be worried. I'm never going to force you to do something you don't want to do." He still looks a bit nervous, but noticeably relaxes.

Julia asks Jake, "So what are you buying?"

"I'm going to go stock up on some medical supplies, like antidotes and potions. Considering what we get into, it's probably a good idea to get some medicine that works for humans too, not just berries. I'm probably going to go stock up on some food as well."

Looking at a map of the building, I see that the medicines and the pokéballs are on opposite sides of the mall. Looks like we're going to have to split up. "Alright, do we want to meet back here in an hour?"

Jake agrees. "Sure. See you then."

* * *

When Julia and I reach the pokéball section, both of our jaws drop. There are just rows and rows of all kinds of pokéballs of all different colors and styles.

I ask, "So… what does a luxury ball look like?"

Julia responds, "They're black with orange and yellow lines. Keep your eyes peeled."

"No kidding. Vulpix, Raichu, can you help us find them?"

"Vul!" "Rai!" However, while Vulpix is content to watch from her comfy position in my arms, Raichu darts off.

"Wait! Where are you-" I sigh as Raichu disappears behind the numerous rows of pokéballs. Looking around it doesn't seem like there are too many mall employees, so I let Absol and Espeon out of their pokéballs. Espeon looks at me, confused to be let out in the middle of a mall. Absol takes a few seconds to filter out all the new senses before taking off in Raichu's direction.

Espeon and I stand there, frozen as another teammate just took off. Julia, however, snaps us out of our trance.

"What are you guys doing? Can't Absol sense disasters? It's probably a good idea to follow him."

 _Oh shoot._ "Yeah, okay, let's go. Espeon, can you sense them?"

She focuses for a few minutes, then says, " _Four rows to the left, wait, five. By the time we get down there he'll be in the seventh."_

"Alright, let's go." The four of us start jogging to where Espeon said. _Why in the world would Raichu run off?_

"Kat! Look out-"

 _Huh?_ Suddenly I crash into someone, sending both of us (and Vulpix) to the ground and spilling all of the pokéballs he had in his bag.

Rubbing my head, I get up. Thankfully I landed underneath Vulpix, so she isn't hurt. "Sorry!" I say as Julia and I help pick up the spilled pokéballs. "I didn't see you there. Are you okay?"

Groaning softly, he gets up as well. "Sorry is right. You should watch where you're going."

 _Geez, it was just an accident._ "I'm sorry. My raichu left me behind trying to find a pokéball. It was just an accident."

He scoffs at me. "You should learn how to discipline your pokémon better. Buy a leash or something. Besides, this is the pokémon section for battlers."

Okay, now I'm getting mad. Sharply I retort, "What's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know I have four badges already."

Still with that annoying condescending tone, he laughs. "That's it? You might as well go to coordinating. At least then you'll get some attention." He then looks at Absol. "You know, scratch that. Whatever you've done to that walking disaster, it won't be of any use battling or coordinating."

With that he walks off. I took a step towards him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but Julia grabs my arm. "Just let him go," she says, "It's not worth it."

I sigh, eyes smoldering. "Fine. But that's still not going to change the fact that I want to punch him in the face." I look down and see that Vulpix is also glaring at the jerk. _I guess we're more attuned than I thought. Either that or pokémon grow up really fast._

"Believe me, I wanted to hit that guy too. But that would just let him win. Come on, let's go find Raichu."

 _Wait a second…_ "Absol, you could have warned me about that guy!" He just keeps walking, saying, "Would have been a bigger disaster if you didn't."

 _Huh?_ "Whatever. Let's just find Raichu, buy this luxury ball, and find Jake." Just as I say that Raichu comes running out of the lane, holding one luxury ball in his mouth and the other with his tail.

"There you are! Nice job finding the luxury balls. Now let's buy them and get out of here." Raichu looks confused at my annoyed demeanor, but Espeon fills him in (I think. She just stares at him and he nods). I return Espeon and Absol, and Vulpix drops her angry stare, her face softening into the baby pokémon I fell in love with yesterday. _Was it really only just yesterday? Wow._ She reaches down and taps the button of her pokéball, returning her. _I guess either she's tired, or doesn't want to deal with the people around us._ _The mall has gotten busier. Although, how did she know how to return herself? Are pokémon really just naturally that smart?_

Even after we buy the luxury balls, which cost quite a bit, I still can't forget the jerk I ran into. _What gives him the right to assume that I can't battle just because I'm a girl? That Absol isn't good for anything despite his blindness? I bet he hasn't dealt with half the crazy stuff I had to go through already…_

"Uh, Kat?"

I look up at Julia from my thoughts. "What." I snap. Instantly I regret my tone, but honestly I'm not in the best mood right now.

"The receipt is smoking."

"What?!" I exclaim as I drop the receipt for the pokéballs that we just bought. A few wisps of smoke float into the air as a few embers die out. "Uh… oops?"

Julia quickly picks up the lightly charred receipt and puts it in her pocket. "It's fine, just try not to light something on fire again."

I give a cheeky smile. "No promises." I then take a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Let's go find Jake. I'm sure he's waiting for us."

"Yeah." Looking at her watch, she says. "Wait, we still have thirty minutes. Did you want to buy anything else?"

"I should probably get some more clothes. Most of mine are roughed up and have some holes in them."

Julia nods. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I need to pay some attention to how I look."

* * *

Thankfully, there is a lounge for Raichu to wait around in while Julia and I look for clothes. I'm not worried about him being pokénapped in such a public area, and besides I left Espeon with him so he can't get into any trouble.

"So, now that we're alone and have a break, I have to ask a question. Do you like Jake?"

Blushing behind the door of the changing room, I'm glad that Julia can't see me. "Wh-what? No! What gave you that idea?"

Julia laughs. "Alright, just keep telling yourself that. You should tell him eventually."

Looking to change the subject, I step out of the changing room, wearing a comfortable green T-shirt, an open white jacket, and plain jeans. "How do I look?"

Julia smiles. "Well, I'm no fashionista, but I think it looks good. The shirt matches your eyes."

I take a look in the mirror and see myself. Even after just a few months I can definitely see changes compared to when I started my journey. My green eyes have a sharp glint to them and my hair has grown a bit, now reaching the middle of my back. I also look a lot more fit from walking from town to town.

"Thanks! You look good too." Julia is wearing dark navy sweatshirt, and like me wears a pair of jeans.

After trying on some more clothes, Julia and I buy the clothes that we like, return Espeon as Raichu hops on my shoulder, and head out to meet Jake. I glance at my phone and see that we're five minutes late. _Eh, whatever._

When we get to the meeting place Jake is already there, holding a large bag of food and other supplies. He asks, "Get everything you guys need?"

I answer, "Yep! Got a couple new outfits and luxury balls for Raichu and Teddiursa." I shoot a pointed glance at the electric mouse, who sighs. "Fiiine," he says. " I'll try it."

I give a sad smile. "Raichu, you know I let everyone out most of the time. It's just that in emergencies I may have to put you in a pokéball for your safety. Now let's get out of here. It's too crowded."

"There's a park near the gym, I think," Jake says, "You could also get a sense of what the gym's like too."

"That's a great idea. Let's go drop off our stuff at the pokémon center first."

* * *

 _This is nice. No rampaging pokémon, no Team Rocket, just me, my friends, and my pokémon._ I look around at the serene park next to a perfume shop with the pokémon league logo on it. I'm pretty sure that's where the gym is, but I can figure that out later. Espeon, Raichu, Wooper, Teddiursa, Spearow, and Vulpix are all playing together, laughing and having fun, while Absol and Lucario take the opportunity to lie down and relax. _There are very few times when we get to just sit back and have fun. We need to do this more often._

Unknown POV

"Alpha-1, we are in position. Should we move now?"

The crackle of the walkie-talkie gives way to the gruff voice of my superior and friend. "Negative, Charlie-1. Sigma's seen Giovanni's girl. Orders are to wait for her to challenge the gym, then move in when both parties are tired."

"Alright. Between you and me, why is Giovanni so interested in a 16-year old girl?"

"I heard a couple of things. Some grunts say she's half-pokémon, others claim she's just a talented trainer, and some even say she's Giovanni's illegitimate daughter."

"What do you think?"

"Personally? I've seen Echo-1's report, and there are some pretty crazy things in there. I trust him though, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was half-pokémon, as crazy as that sounds."

I laugh. "Well, once we finish Project Imagine it won't matter who she is or what she can do. The gym leader shouldn't be too hard, but I don't know what kind of team that girl has."

"From the last intel, she's got an espeon, raichu, absol, spearow, and a baby vulpix. Her friends have a wooper, scyther, lucario and a young teddiursa combined. That's not counting their G-men friend, who apparently was able to mega-evolve his typhlosion somehow. That typhlosion took out half of Echo-1's team in less than a minute. Other known pokémon include magnezone, sylveon, and sandslash. You should be okay though. He was last seen flying towards the Orange Islands, so you have a window of time now."

"Hmm. Alright, I'm going to need that bird. Have you finished project Shadow?"

"Yeah. Those kids won't know what hit them."

A/N Alright, letting you know right now I strongly dislike filler, but it had to be done. Besides, it wasn't **all** filler. I really hope I didn't offend anyone with the whole shopping scene. Honestly, don't know what I was thinking when I came up with a female protagonist, but whatever, I'll try to roll with it. Just saying, all of the Rocket slang is very intentional; Project Shadow should be pretty easy if you know your lore, but Project Imagine is a bit difficult. There are clues littered throughout this story about what it could be ;) 


	32. Chapter 32 - An All-Natural Gym Battle

A/N Hey everyone! I'm not dead I promise. To be honest, this week and last week have been so hectic for me, and next week isn't much better. I promise I'll try to stick to my schedule though. Happy (late) Memorial Day Weekend, and thank you to everyone who has risked their lives to serve. Thank you Memremead for favoriting and following, and enjoy the chapter!

Kat's POV

Once again I'm in the Hall of Origin, but this time it's different. The very air seems stifling and oppressive.

I see Arceus a short distance away, but he makes no indication that I am there. He seems to be talking to a dragon that emanates - not necessarily evil - but ethereal darkness and energy. There's no hostility, but it certainly does not seem to belong in the bright area.

Arceus's voice is not commanding, or angry, but if anything he sounds sad and concerned. "Giratina, I know what I foresaw. And there's nothing you can do about it." _Wait, Giratina… Luke said that he was the legendary pokémon of antimatter! What is he doing here?_

"Father, that cannot be! You- how can those blasted humans do this? Why don't we just destroy them all now?!"

Arceus gives a wan smile. "It's nice to know you care, but no, I will not resort to destroying an entire race. Never again. What I do ask is that you prepare for what is coming soon."

Giratina looks down. "It's just that... I... Alright. I will do as you asked. Goodbye, Father." With that a dark purple portal appears and Giratina floats through. Once Giratina leaves the darkness is gone but the air still seems almost hostile.

He turns to me. "You can feel it, right? The very air seems alien. There's not much time." _Is this about the problem I'm supposed to fix?_ "Things are transpiring beyond either of our control, but just trust in yourself and your pokémon." His eyes hold sadness and regret.

"Wh- What's exactly going to happen?"

He smiles down at me, filling me with the warmth that this place once brought. "I can't promise you that it will be easy, but know that your friends, your pokémon, and I will always be with you. Now farewell."

"Wait! What am I supposed to-"

"-do…" I wake up in my bed, accidentally waking Vulpix next to me. "Vul?"

"Hey girl. Sorry for waking you up." She just rolls over on top of me, her eyes closing again as she falls asleep. Julia didn't wake up, although Lucario raises an eyebrow at me before slipping out the door.

 _Ugh, it must be early if Lucario just got up… but what did Arceus mean? What does Giratina have to do with all of this. Darn, if only Luke stuck around, or I knew a way to get in touch with Cynthia…_

Out of nowhere a simple white card warps out of nowhere, falling on top of my chest. Gently picking it up so Vulpix wouldn't wake up, I see that the card is blank except for ten numbers. _The heck…?_

" _Thought this might help."_ A cool familiar voice enters my head, one I haven't heard in a while.

" _Mewtwo?! What the...? What is this? And what are you doing in my head?"_

" _Just a bit of help. You wanted to contact the champion, right?"_

" _...you've been spying on my thoughts, haven't you. Don't you have anything better to do?"_

" _...I don't know what you're talking about. Tell Espeon I said hello. Good luck."_ With that, I feel Mewtwo's thoughts leave my mind.

 _I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that. I haven't seen him after Espeon evolved... Oh well…_

Just before I nod off again, I realize what Mewtwo gave me. _I'm an idiot. It's a phone number, and I think I know whose it is. Regardless, it's too early. I'll try calling her later._

* * *

A few hours later, everyone meets up for breakfast in the pokémon center, and I'm feeling a bit excited. We've spent a few days in Celadon recovering and training, and honestly it feels like forever since I've had a gym battle. I can feel that the rest of my pokémon feel similarly. I know that Spearow is itching for a good battle, and Vulpix is excited just to watch. The little fox's tails have started to split into six, and a few times I notice her sneeze a few cinders, which is both adorable and a sign that she's getting close to knowing her first move.

 _I think that if it's a three-on-three, I'll go with Spearow, Espeon, and Absol. Raichu in reserve, although his electricity won't do much to grass-types._ _Let's do this._

* * *

When I step into the perfume shop with the pokémon league symbol on it, I am immediately assaulted with all kinds of fragrances of so many different flowers. _I guess it was a good idea to return Absol. The smell would have completely overloaded his senses. Oh shoot… I hope that's not a problem._ After getting over my initial shock, I walk up to an aid and ask, "Hello, do you know if I could have a gym battle now?"

The aid sees Vulpix in my arms and turns her nose up. "Please. As if your pathetic fire mutt could stand up to our beautiful grass types."

"Hey! What gives you the right to pick on my pokémon? Besides, I'm not using her. She's just a baby." I gently stroke Vulpix's soft fur as she digs her face into my shirt which is slowly becoming damp.

"Shh, it's okay. That girl was just being mean, okay? Don't cry…" Vulpix sniffles a bit before looking up at me and nodding."

"Whatever. All fire pokémon do is burn and destroy anyways. Gym's that way." she says, pointing towards a door in the back of the room.

As we step through the door, Espeon tells me, " _Hey, don't worry about her now. We have a gym battle to focus on."_

 _Espeon's right. I can't just let every jerk trainer get to me._

The battlefield is made of soft earth surrounded with plants of all kinds. Now that there's more space, I release Absol and Spearow. The gym leader, who walked out of another door moments ago, raises an eyebrow. "Releasing all of your pokémon early? Is that the wisest decision?"

"I can't imagine being stuck in a small cage is fun. I let my pokémon out whenever I can."

"An admirable decision. My name is Erica, gym leader of the Celadon City Gym."

"I'm Kat. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. This will be a standard three-on-three battle, only you can make substitutions. Any questions?"

"Nope! Let's get started. Spearow!"

The bird eagerly flies onto the field, and I can feel his excitement. Erica sent out a very pungent-smelling plant that looks like it's drooling. _Good thing I didn't send out Absol.I don't think he could stand the smell._

"Gloom, start off with Poison Powder!" From the top of the foul-smelling plant purple spores came up towards Spearow.

"Spearow, fly left, then use Peck!" The poisonous spores sail harmlessly past Spearow as he goes in close.

Erica smirks. "Vine whip!" Vines sprout from Gloom's body, heading to smack Spearow out of the sky.

"Spin!" Spearow spins, and the vines couldn't get a grip on him. He takes a bit of damage, but his beak glowing with energy deals much more damage to Gloom. The plant staggers backwards, but stays upright.

"Alright, Spearow, again!"

When Spearow dives in again, Erica commands, "Sleep Powder!"

I try to warn him, "Watch out-" but it is too late. Spinning doesn't shield him from the blue spores, and soon afterwards he promptly falls asleep.

"Leech Seed and Absorb!" Small seeds sprout from Gloom and land on Spearow, sprouting and sucking his energy.

 _Crap, Spearow's not going to get out of that one…_ "Return!" The red beam lands and Spearow returns safely to his pokéball.

"Smart, taking him out before all of his energy is drained. Although, he is still asleep."

"Thanks. Espeon, get in there." My starter gracefully hops on the battlefield, staring down Gloom.

"We'll take the first move this time. Espeon, Psychic!"

Gloom glows with a pink energy before being lifted up and slammed into the ground. Surprisingly, he didn't faint, and Erica calls out, "Poison Powder!"

Again the purple spores come flying out of the top of Gloom's head, and before I can even say anything Espeon sets up a psychic barrier, letting the poisonous powders fall harmlessly to the ground.

One more Psychic and Gloom falls over, knocked out.

As Erica returns Gloom she releases a fairly dopey-looking tree with multiple faces.

" _You want to keep battling?"_ I discreetly ask Espeon.

" _Yeah. I think this tree is a psychic type as well, so heads up."_

" _Thanks. Let's change it up a bit. Quick Attack close into Shadow Ball, but watch out for status effects. She seems to-"_

"Are you just going to stand there all day, or battle?" Erica asks.

I smile. _Have fun with this._ "Go!"

Espeon darts forward cloaked in white, and Erica takes a step back, surprised. However, she shouts out, "Exeggutor, Psychic!"

Espeon is stopped in her tracks, but by now she's close enough to shoot a Shadow Ball, breaking Exeggutor's concentration and dealing a fair bit of damage.

"Good, but not enough. Exeggutor, Synthesis!" The tree glows briefly, and recovers most of the damage caused by the Shadow Ball. "Now Seed Bomb!"

Large seeds launch from Exeggutor's head towards Espeon, and while she stops most of them one makes it through her shield, damaging her and breaking her concentration leading to the rest exploding.

"Espeon!" _I hope she's okay. At least I know she has the same limits as I do…_

When the smoke clears, Espeon is standing, albeit shakily, defiantly staring at Exeggutor, who looks completely damage-free.

 _Espeon can deal enough damage, but Exeggutor's just going to heal while Espeon can't._ _Wait… Synthesis uses the sun. What if I blocked the sun?_

"Espeon, Dig!" Espeon gives me a slight look of disdain, but vanishes into the ground, albeit a bit slower than when she was an Eevee. I don't know if it's due to her new body or if she's just tired and out of practice.

"An Espeon that knows Dig. Now I've seen everything." Erica remarks. _Oh you have no idea what's going to happen next._

"Espeon, Shadow Ball!"

Erica gives me a dirty look. "What do you think you're doing?"

Just after she says that the ground erupts, creating a dust cloud that covers both pokémon, but more importantly blocks the sun.

" _Shadow Ball until he falls over."_ I can feel her fatigue in her response. " _Sure, but… but I want a bath after this fight. This much dirt and dust is gross."_

" _Weren't you the one who loved to dig holes?"_

" _That- that was before I lost my longer claws and brown fur. Hold on."_

I hear multiple explosions before the dust clears, with a very tired Espeon and a knocked out Exeggutor.

Erica stares at me. "While I have to admire you for your resourcefulness and persistence, did you really have to blow up my battlefield?"

I look at the crater in the center of the field. "Um… oops?"

"No matter. I do have pokémon to fix that. Although, I'll have to do it after the battle." She returns her fainted exeggutor, and pulls out another pokéball. "Vileplume, blossom!"

A short blue pokémon with a massive red flower appears, and it looks strong. "Vileplume has been with me since the start of my journey, and is the reason I became a grass-type trainer. We're not giving up that easily."

I take a look at Espeon, panting and favoring one leg. She still wants to fight, but wouldn't last a second in the next fight. "Espeon, come back. I can't let you fight like this."

She gives me a grateful look and limps over to me. "Great job girl. I'll get you patched up when we're done, okay?" She nods and immediately lies down next to Raichu, who cuddles up to her.

"I'm forfeiting her. She can't keep fighting like this."

"Again, respectable. But now it's a one on one. Which pokémon are you going to choose, the absol or the raichu?"

"Absol, let's go." Thankfully Erica doesn't comment on Absol's blindness. I lead off. "Psycho Cut, straight ahead!"

Absol races forward through the broken ground, horn lit up with pink energy. "Sleep Powder!"

Once more blue spores cover Vileplume, protecting her. Absol cancels his attack after hearing Erica's command and moves warily side to side, minding the debris.

"Night Slash!" Absol's horn now lights up with dark energy, but this time he can shoot that blade towards Vileplume, much to Erica and Vileplume's surprise.

Vileplume just stands there as the blade hits her, doing a little bit of damage but not a lot.

"How did you manage to turn Night Slash into a _ranged_ attack?" Erica asks, bewildered.

 _Huh, now that I think about it, that shouldn't be possible._ "I don't know. He could do that when I met him."

"Well, I guess I have to expect anything with you. Vileplume, Sludge Bomb!"

Globs of purple poison shoot towards Absol from above, who is able to sidestep them all.

"Absol, just keep firing Night Slashes and dodge the Sludge Bombs!" He does so, and a back-and-forth fight ensues, with Absol slowly circling the battlefield. Suddenly, he stumbles, grimacing in pain. Only then do I notice the poisonous sludge left over from Vileplume's attacks covering the battlefield.

"I've got you now. Absol can sense disasters but all I had to do was present a larger one. Clock's ticking."

 _I've got it. Vileplume can't use Sleep Powder if she's shooting poison at us._ " _Absol, wait until my signal, then Sucker Punch."_ I can only hope that he gets my message like in Saffron.

"Vileplume, Sludge Bomb!" Erica says with a triumphant smirk.

"Now!" Before Vileplume can react Absol rushes in, cutting Vileplume's attack off. "Finish it with Psycho Cut!"

Absol follows through and sends Vileplume crashing to the ground, knocked out. I immediately return Absol to his pokéball so the poison doesn't hurt him as much.

"That was a great battle. You definitely could think on your feet and are truly connected to your pokémon."

"While I'd love to celebrate, can we heal our pokémon up first? Espeon is exhausted, Absol's poisoned, and Spearow's asleep."

"Yeah, sure. Follow me." She leaves through the door she came in, and I follow her through, Espeon in my arms and Raichu right behind me with Vulpix on his back.

Charlie-1's POV

 _Everything's in place. Both the gym leader and that girl's teams are exhausted and can't battle, the power is ready to be cut, and R &D's Project Shadow has given me an absolute beast. Now, let's get these fireworks started._

A/N So... things are about to happen. I kind of have this planned out in my head already, so it should be ready in two weeks. Also, if there's any kind of continuity error, please let me know! It's been nearly a year (wow, time flies) since I started this, and I'm sure that there's some things that don't add up. It also doesn't help that some arcs were planned out in my head while running over the summer, and I'm only getting to write them now.


	33. Chapter 33 - Trial by Fire

A/N Hey everyone, really sorry for the super-late chapter. Hopefully with all the things I need to do over the summer I can keep writing, but I am letting you know now that I am not giving up, and that this story will be finished. Thanks to maxmario for following, Drew Blackstone for favoriting, and Lol7908 for following and favoriting! The support really helps! When I finish this story (we still have a little ways to go, don't worry), I'm going to go back and rewrite most of the early chapters so that they're readable. It's been a year since I first started this, and I feel that I've improved as a writer. So thanks a lot for sticking with me, and WOOHOO IT"S BEEN A YEAR! 

Kat's POV

Further into the gym, I can't help but marvel at the numerous plants and grass-type pokémon that live throughout the gym. The building itself is a greenhouse, and through the glass walls and ceiling sunlight beams down on us.

Erica turns into an actual room with a couple of healing machines, but as soon as we walk in, the lights turn off and the healing machines stop humming.

I ask Erica, "What happened?"

She frowns. "The power's out. I don't know why-"

Her words are drowned out by the sound of shattering glass. Alarmed, both of us look out and see the glass walls of the greenhouse shattered, with Rockets pouring through. _Come on, why here? Why now?_

Erica pulls me away, closes the door, then locks it. Thankfully it doesn't seem like the Rockets found us yet. She whispers to me, "The power may be out, but can your Raichu power the healing machine? I just need enough to heal Vileplume to heal the rest of our pokémon."

"Sure. Raichu?" After setting Vulpix on the ground, he pulls the plug out of the wall and starts to charge it. Before long, the machine is humming softly, and Erica puts Vileplume's pokéball in for a few seconds, then releases her, looking brand new.

"Thanks Raichu." The machine abruptly shuts off as Raichu cuts the power.

"Release your pokémon." As soon as I let Spearow and Absol out, Erica whispers, "Aromatherapy, then Synthesis"

A sweet fragrance comes from Vileplume's flower, and Absol immediately looks healthier and Spearow wakes up. Vileplume then glows green and vines reach out and touch Espeon, Absol, Spearow, and Exeggutor. The green glow travels through the vines and into the pokémon, refreshing them. Someone starts banging on the door. "Gym leader, open up! We have you surrounded. Surrender and I promise your death will be quick and painless."

Ignoring them, Erica whispers, "That should heal them enough. Now to deal with the Rockets." I return Vulpix to her pokéball for safety, and Erica pulls out another pokéball. "Ready?" By this point the door begins to glow a dull orange. I put my hand near and feel the heat. _It'll be too hot to open._

My hands glow pink. "Allow me." Erica raises an eyebrow, but other than that shows no sign of surprise.

With a blast of psychic energy, I fling the flaming door outwards into the greenhouse. From there chaos ensues. Thankfully, we have the element of surprise and quickly take down the first rockets and their pokémon. But after that it becomes a free-for-all. I myself duck under a burst of flame and retaliate with a Thunderbolt, knocking out the growlithe that attacked me.

I see Erica and a large jovial pokémon with a sombrero completely destroying the legion of fire pokémon in front of them with blasts of water. I don't know what pokémon that is, but it is clearly a water and grass type. _I guess the Rockets didn't account for a possible dual types. Did they think that the gym leader would be that easy to take down?_ I can't help but wince as a growlithe gets brutally hit with a Hydro Pump.

I try to keep an eye on my pokémon, but it's too hectic to see clearly. Espeon and Pikachu seem to have teamed up, Absol is holding his own, and Spearow has taken to the air. _I just hope that Jake and Julia are okay._

A flash appears to my right and I throw up a psychic shield and stop the attack just before it hits me. _Focus. Focus on the battle._ I fly upwards, opting to attack from above. My hands glow with yellow and black energy as I look for my next enemy. Spearow flies alongside me, disrupting bursts of flame and chipping away at the fire army before us.

* * *

Absol's POV

Some people think that not being able to see your enemy makes it impossible to battle. For me, it means that there are no distractions around me. In the moment of battle, I trust the feeling stemming from my horn. Sidestep. Duck. Dodge right, counterattack. Pure instinct, knowing just where I have to go to keep fighting. I hear the crackling fire and smell the smoke constantly, and just focus on where my next target is, or where the next attack is coming from.

There's too much going on to tell if my teammates are in danger, but the crackle of electricity and the sound of Spearow's caws tell me that they're doing fine. Although, I can't tell where Espeon is. Her psychic energy doesn't produce any sounds or smells I can pay attention to.

Just in time I jump over another flame attack, retaliating with a Night Slash. I hear a cry of pain and another flash of danger disappears. There's still so much, and I have to be focused to avoid being burned. I duck, feeling the heat of another attack pass over me which slightly singes my fur, and turn to my next enemy.

Espeon's POV

For all the fire-type pokémon Rocket wants to throw at us, they are clearly not very well-trained. Most go down in one or two attacks, and their attacks are easy to deflect or block. Raichu and I are working together well; I bend the fire around us, and he shocks the attackers into unconsciousness.

Some of the ponyta are quick, but with a quick jerk of willpower I bend the lightning towards them, and they fall quickly. Absol is making quick work of his enemies, and Spearow and Kat are providing air support, attacking from the skies.

" _I wonder how many times they're going to attack before realizing it won't do anything?"_

"Espeon, not now. And please stay out my head. You know I don't like it."

I give a fake pout. " _Fine. Be that way."_ More fire comes towards me and I send it to the ground. No sense it potentially giving pokémon with flash fire more power.

Finally, most of the grunts around Raichu and me are knocked out, and I look around to see who needs help. Across the greenhouse in the gym I see one Rocket fighting both Jake and Julia. The man's Magmortar blasts attack after attack from his cannon-like arms, forcing Lucario and Scyther to dodge constantly. Jake and Julia stand fairly far back, and Jake's holding his arm. Wooper stands nearby, blasting anyone stupid enough to come close with powerful blasts of water.

" _Kat! Julia and Jake need our help. Raichu and I will go for Magmortar."_

" _Alright, Be careful."_

Meanwhile the flame cannon pokémon manages to clip one of Scyther's wings, sending her to the ground. Thankfully Jake returns her before she could get roasted by a Fire Blast.

Over the din of the battle I can hear the Rocket's voice clearly. "Magmortar, end this! Blast Burn!"

With two arms available, the magmortar is able to unleash a massive wall of fire towards Lucario that he can't dodge.

 _No!_ I immediately throw up a huge shield around Lucario, shielding him from the intense fiery blast. A headache starts to form and my vision turns slightly blurry from the force I needed to put into that shield. _At least Lucario is safe._ My legs slightly shake as I lean on Raichu, who looks at me with concern.

"Can you keep fighting? That was a powerful attack."

"Not really… not sure… not sure how much I have left. I put a lot into that shield."

"Too tired for telepathy?" I just nod in response. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe until Kat notices." A small blush grows but I don't really mind. "Thanks."

For a few moments the only thing I see are a few flashes of lightning around me, then a red light as I'm sucked into my pokéball. I'm sure the rest of them can handle it. In the meanwhile… I'm going to take a nap.

Raichu's POV

Another Flamethrower shoots towards me, and I see it a second too late. I try to jump over it, but it clips my foot and I clumsily fall before getting up and shocking the smug vulpix unconscious. _Damn… it's a lot harder without Espeon here._ Thankfully the fire attack didn't burn me or hurt too much, but I definitely need to be more careful.

I turn towards a bark behind me as a growlithe charges towards me with Flame Wheel. _Wait for it, wait for it… Now!_ At the last possible second I jump to the right and Thunderbolt him, but the fiery shield protects him from most of the attack. Now he's turning around and coming towards me again. _Now what? Wait… this is probably a bad idea, but it's an idea._

Once again I wait until I can feel the heat radiating off of his body, then jump up, my tail starting to gleam metallically.

"Take this!" My Iron Tail slams into the Flame Wheel, breaking the attack and allowing Erica's water type to blast it, knocking it unconscious. _Ow. That was hot. Should avoid Iron Tail for now._ Trying to ignore the searing pain in my tail, I take a deep breath before jumping into the fray.

Kat's POV

 _Almost done._ Most of the grunts were taken care of by this point, and there's just one Rocket left. Absol, Lucario, and Raichu already took down his magmortar, but the last grunt doesn't look concerned.

 _How could he be so unafraid? Everyone's a little roughed up, but mostly fine. Besides, Erica's pokémon seem alright as well, relatively speaking. Between Leech Seed, Giga Drain, and Synthesis I'm surprised anything could take them all down._

"You think you have me beat?" The Rocket chuckles. "You haven't seen what we've been doing. Now face the power of Project Shadow!"

 _Project What?_ The Rocket pulls out an all-black pokéball that seems to be radiating with an unnatural darkness. Whereas Absol's dark energy feels comfortable (in an odd way), the energy coming off of that pokéball is full of hostility and anger. _What is that thing?_

He presses the release button, but instead of a white light forming, a dark shadow appears instead. With a burst of darkness, a Fearow is released, its body covered in a black-purple mist.

" **FEAAAAR!"** It's cry causes all of our pokémon to flinch back at the raw power and anger of whatever Rocket did to that pokémon. I see out of the corner of my eye a shocked expression on Erica's face. _Doesn't look like she knows what it is either. I just hope that we can take it down._

Spearow's POV, 5 minutes earlier

 _Finally, after all this time, I get my chance to really get revenge for my family._ _I'm not going to be taken out in one hit again by a stupid electric type._

Thankfully some of the stray fire attacks from the Rocket pokémon create thermals and updrafts so I don't have to put as much energy into flying. Which means, I can focus on attacking. Launching Gusts from the air and dive bombing with Peck, the various fire-types start dropping.

Kat is with me in the air, and honestly, it's a bit scary. A furious 16 year-old flying with translucent wings and shooting down lightning bolts and blades of darkness is not something you want to mess with. _I'm just thankful I'm on her side._

At some point, multiple pokémon target her, the stationary target in the sky. All of the flames stop just a few inches from her, and I can see the strain in her face as she repels their attack. _I have to do something_.

I start diving down in a Peck to stop one of the growlithes attacking Kat, but suddenly my whole body starts glowing white and I move much faster, sending the growlithe sprawling. _What the- I'm pretty sure dad had that move. Wasn't Hurricane, or Mirror Move… Aerial Ace, that was it!_

With my much faster and more powerful attack, I weave in and out of the fire types who have finally noticed me, slowly knocking them out. Kat helps out as well, sending dark blades

After what seems to be an eternity, the blasts of flame stop. I glance around at who needs my help next, but it seems that the last pokémon, a magmortar, was just taken down by Lucario, Raichu, and Absol. I don't see Espeon, which means she's out, hopefully safe.

"-power of Project Shadow!"

 _Huh?_ Completely fearless, the last Rocket pulls out a dark pokéball that almost hurts to look at. When he releases the pokémon and it forms in a shadowy mass, my blood turns cold and I almost fall out of the air.

 _...Dad?_

A/N So... how many of you saw that one coming? There were a few hints here and there, so kudos if you spotted it. Just saying, I do almost everything deliberately (except for names. I'm terrible with those) so keep a sharp eye. If you can figure out Team Rocket's final plan (which is IMAGINE - the name also has importance in this case), I'll be impressed. There are hints from way back in Pewter City, but it's definitely something hard to spot. Thanks for an amazing year, and I'm sure that this one is going to be even better.

AgentLucario Out!


	34. Chapter 34 - Family Ties

A/N Hello! So my beta reader has not had the chance to look over this just yet, but I think it's good enough for now. On the other hand, I just found out that I got accepted to the University of Pennsylvania Class of 2022! :) Hopefully now that I got into college, I would have a bit more time to write. Sorry for the huge wait, but here's the next chapter!

While looking back at what I wrote so far, there are a few changes that I'm going to be making to the story from here on out. I always planned to rewrite this (at least the early parts) because... well... to put it bluntly, they're not exactly good. No major plot points have changed (I like foreshadowing too much), just some logistics and character development. To save you some trouble and to avoid wasting time on rewriting what I've done so far, I've made some changes/retcons for this story:

Jake: his character was really inconsistent, but my plan is that he will be a reserved/shy character with lots of knowledge about nature (berries, plants, etc.) - this will be important later, just know that this will be canon and important.

Julia: a character I realized was super static, so now she's is/was going to have to try to live up to her father's legacy as well as learning about travelling in the wilderness. She will also be more knowledgeable about pokémon than Jake, but less about nature

Spearow: I've realized that I really kind of ignored him for the most part after capture, so when I rewrite this he'll get more of the spotlight. As you'll see in the coming chapter, I've made him more of an insightful character because of what he's been through, despite his age. It'll be a nice contrast to Absol, who's already lived through his own problems

Absol: Speaking of Absol, I'm probably going to tweak how I write his battle styles (balancing his blindness and his danger sense) and how powerful he *sometimes* is (tanking three focus blasts from an alakazam... not exactly plausible) but for the most part he won't change. I will establish him as an older pokémon, however, which will affect the way he acts and battles (honestly not much to change there but I thought it would be worth pointing out)

Espeon: I'm going to more clearly outline and flesh out her backstory (which has been hinted at), but I'm going to attempt to make it more coherent and logical

Raichu: Not much, just outlining how his fear/dislike of pokéballs isn't claustrophobia, because if pokéballs were small voids then all pokémon would hate them, but rather just a dislike of how artificial the fake world is. It also makes things easier for me in the future for later plans ;)

In terms of logical things I realized after I started this, here are the changes:

Characters will know pokémon (including major legendaries) from at least Kanto/Johto. It doesn't make sense how you can live for 10-16 years and not realize what the animals around you are called. Regarding pokémon from other regions, while individuals might not be known, things like typing and build can be inferred (it's really not that hard to tell that a chandelure is a ghost and fire type)

The timeline will basically be extended between cities. I realized that it doesn't make a lot of sense to be able to get from one major city to another in just a few days of travelling.

Characters will actually be carrying around gear (tent, sleeping bag, basic cooking gear, clothes) - why I didn't think of this before I don't really know.

Training will actually be mentioned outside of the first gym battle. The power curve I'm setting up doesn't fit with the fact that there is almost no outside training whatsoever.

Hopefully, these changes will help make this story a bit more realistic and cohesive. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Spearow's POV

 _That… That can't be him, right? That shadowy beast, full of rage and anger… it can't be. Yet those eyes, filled with pain and anger, are still the same eyes that watched my brothers and sisters with joy as we flew for the first time. That beak, curled into a scowl, is the same one that smiled at my family working together. The wings that sheltered me, comforted me, held me when I cried…_

 _No. This is not my father. My father is caring, and kind, and compassionate. Team Rocket has done something to him, and I intend to bring him back. He couldn't have just given up that easily._

While I was hovering in shock, Kat and the others have already started to fight Dad. Whatever Rocket did to him, it took away his battle sense. Instead of taking advantage of the skies and dodging, he takes their attacks head on. Raichu's Thunderbolts seem to some damage, but everyone else's attacks just make him angrier.

"Hurricane!"

A huge windstorm picks up from the power flaps of Dad's wings. I know from experience to streamline my body and avoid fighting the winds directly, allowing me to cut through the worst of it. Raichu and Absol manage to get enough distance in time, but Lucario and all of Erica's bulky grass-type pokémon are knocked out. _Just one move. I knew Dad was powerful, but this is just scary._

The trainer then called out, "Shadow Rush!" _What kind of move is that?_ The dark cloak around my father's feathers intensifies as he slams into Raichu, who tries to dodge but only partially gets out of the way. Even with a glancing blow, my friend skids across the floor and struggles to get up.

The shadow pokémon cloaks himself in darkness once again, this time scoring a direct hit on Raichu. The poor electric-type is slammed into the wall across the gym with an audible crack, leaving a dent. I could only stare at his unconscious body, bloody and bruised. However, the abomination didn't stop there. He lunged towards Raichu, talons outstretched at his throat. _He… he wouldn't…_

Thankfully Kat reacted quickly, returning him to his pokéball before the shadow pokémon could get to him. My dad looks around, before focusing on Absol. Thanks to his danger sense, the dark-type easily hops out of the way of the dangerous attack, before retaliating with Night Slash.

"Hurricane!"

 _Uh Oh._ Flapping his wings, Dad creates a huge windstorm, blowing Absol in the air. Ceasing the attack, Dad suddenly shot forwards, cloaked in shadow once more.

Completely on instinct I shoot forwards before knocking him off course with an Aerial Ace. Just getting near the shadows on his body was uncomfortable, but actually colliding with him almost burned my feathers. Absol clumsily lands on his feet, while my father turns to me.

 _At this rate, we'll never win. That one attack took almost all of my strength and I just barely knocked him off course. I have to snap him out of it._

"Dad! It's your son, Connor!" He has the same look of hatred and anger in his eyes, and rushes forwards with Shadow Rush once more.

"Come on! Just snap out of it!" For a split second he hesitates, the shadows dimming in intensity for a moment, before they return, headed straight for me. Immediately I spin to the left, barely dodging the attack.

"I know you're in there!" Another Shadow Rush barrels towards me and once again I barely slip under the attack. _How… How could they do this to him?_

I blink away a few tears and angrily shout, "What did they do to you? What happened to the pokémon who cared for his family? Who was always there for me?

Instead of a Shadow Rush, a blistering fast Aerial Ace hits one of my wings, sending me to the ground. The shadow pokémon who was once my father pins my smaller body down with his talons, barely drawing blood. Numbly I feel pain, but mostly overwhelming fear. With his wings surrounding me, Kat can't return me with my pokéball. Absol tries to rush in, but is batted away by a large wing, thrown across the gym.

A pink glow takes hold of my father, but he quickly breaks it with a burst of shadow. Getting off of me, he flies straight towards Kat. Even while using Quick Attack, Dad clips her with a wing and sends her tumbling. Jake and Julia rush towards her, helping her get up. She's barely conscious, just able to stand with her friends' support.

Before I could do anything else, my father pins me again on the ground, and now there's nobody left to help me. I'm too tired to struggle out of his grasp, but I couldn't give up. Not yet. Not after everything he's done for me, and for my brothers and sisters. "Come on Dad… it's me, Connor. You never gave up on me… and I won't give up on you."

The shadows around Dad's beak intensify, and I close my eyes waiting for the inevitable.

However, I hear a strangled, subdued voice. "Co- Connor? It… It can't be. My children are dead."

I open my eyes immediately, with renewed strength. "No, Dad, it's me, Connor. Your son! Please, you can fight it!"

Slowly, I can see the shadows flickering, before Dad gasps, the shadows dispersing for good. Once he recovers, Dad quickly gets off me, horrified from my injuries. "Connor, what- what have I done?"

I gingerly get on my talons again, wincing. I try to spread my wings but a searing agony flares up in my right wing. Immediately I retract both wings, barely staying upright. Between deep breaths, I tell him, "Wing's broken… but I'll be okay. I'm just happy... that you broke out of Team Rocket's control."

"Yeah… speaking of which…" He turns angrily towards the cyan-haired Rocket, but freezes.

My eyes widen as I turn. The Rocket is holding a gun, the metal glinting threateningly in the sunlight, pointed straight at Kat and her friends. "Everybody return your pokémon and you live. If not… well, then things will get messy."

He looks at Kat pointedly. "And don't even think about trying to use your powers. I doubt you can, but just in case the bullets are crafted from the body of a pawniard, so your psychic powers won't do anything. I know you can move fast, but I doubt faster than a bullet." I almost throw up at his statement, but am more worried for Kat. My trainer barely looks like she could stand, and there's something in her eyes I've never seen before.

 _Fear._

Not like nervousness or anxiety which I have seen before battles. No, this is complete and raw fear, and I know exactly how it feels.

It's how I felt then, and it's how I feel now. Complete and utter powerlessness, knowing that you can't do anything to stop the evil that's happening around you. I used to enjoy battles, because it was exhilarating but there was no real danger to it. Even fighting Team Rocket earlier was similar. When it was just pokémon moves being used, there was never any serious danger. Pokémon's bodies are meant to battle, to handle energy being thrown around like that. There is spirit and passion present when pokémon battle, but there is no warmth in the weapon pointed at my friends. It is cold, detached, and ruthless. Whoever invented guns must have never had a family or friends. A handheld piece of metal that can just end lives. End families. Who would think of that?

This is even worse than that night when my family was taken. As horrible as it was, I knew in my heart that they would still be out there, and I was right. This… this could end so many things. Battles forge friendships, rivalries, and bonds, and make people grow. What that vile man is holding is made purely for destruction with the capability to end so many things. Kat's life. My life. Dad's life. Gone in an instant.

Nobody moves, the air heavy and still. Suddenly a vine appears almost out of nowhere and hits the Rocket's hand, sending the gun skittering on the floor. I shakily let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. A carnivine, previously unnoticed, had just emerged, grinning.

Scowling, the Rocket pulls out two more pokéballs. "I'm not done yet. Gourgeist, Simipour, ready for battle!"

A pumpkin-like ghost and a blue monkey appear, and with my wing broken I can't do much. After a moment, Kat returns me, and I feel myself being returned to my pokéball, and suddenly I'm in an artificial field, the default setting for most pokéballs.

The pain in my broken wing has numbed due to the pokéball, but at the same time I need to be out there. I find and gently press the release button, feeling myself materialize back in the real world. Even though it'll probably hurt, I have to be out there cheering on Dad.

Kat's POV

As soon as the Rocket pulled out a gun, everything around me freezes. I can't move, can't breathe. The barrel of the pistol seemed to grow, larger than a snorlax. I'm paralyzed, completely useless to help myself or my friends. _Oh Arceus._ Cream flashes before my eyes, and my neck feels cold just where I know the Shadow Claw is. _No no no no stop please stop..._

"...Ready for battle!" I slowly shake my head as I take deep breaths and try to see what's going on. Thankfully the gun and the persian are finally gone. A carnivine commanded by Erica and the… cured?... shadow pokémon seems to be standing off against some kind of ghost type and a water-monkey, but there's not much more I can do but watch. All of my pokémon that can fight are knocked out or injured, and I'm in no condition to fight.

Suddenly one of the pokéballs on my belt opens and Spearow clumsily lands in front of me, holding his right wing close.

"Spearow! What are you doing? You're too hurt to be out right now!" I reach for his pokéball, but he shakes his head quickly.

 _Huh?_ I look at the battle unfolding before me, as the fearow somehow uses freaking _Seed Bomb_ on the water monkey, doing some damage. "How- nevermind. Do you want to watch?"

He gingerly nods his head. _That's odd…_ Regardless, I pick him up, careful to avoid his injured wing, and hold him so he can see better.

The battle seems to be at a stalemate, with neither side backing down. The fearow actually battles surprisingly well, able to keep up without a trainer. I take out my often forgotten pokédex and scan the fearow to see it's moveset.

Wow. For one, he is extremely strong, and on top of that, his moveset is insane. Gust, Peck, Wing Attack I expected. I certainly did not expect to see moves like Hurricane, Aerial Ace, Drill Run, Brave Bird, and Mirror Move. _I don't even know what some of these moves are. This is definitely a previously owned pokémon. So what's his deal with Team Rocket? It's clear that he's not with them, and somehow has a connection with Spearow…_

"Go Dad!"

I briefly look at the Spearow I'm holding, then have a realization. _Wait. That vision of Spearow's family being taken by the Rockets… they must have used Spearow's dad for experiments. At least now I know why Spearow wanted to watch so badly, and why Fearow's so angry now._

Turning my attention back to the battle, I see that Fearow and Carnivine are slowly gaining the advantage. With his high mobility and moveset, Fearow is practically dancing around the Rocket's pokémon, diving in glowing white or cloaked in blue fire and backing off, occasionally launching gusts of wind. Under Erica's command, Carnivine manages to sway out of the way of Shadow Balls and Ice Beams, then decisively striking with glowing green vines. However, there is a glint in the Rocket's eyes that make me uneasy.

"Shadow Sneak!" The ghost vanished into the ground, making Fearow and Carnivine nervous. My eyes widen as the gourgeist doesn't attack, but instead surfaces next to his trainer, holding the gun.

He says, "Thank you." as he takes the weapon from his pokémon with a wicked smirk. He levels the gun right at me and takes aim. "Enough with this." His eyes are cold and dark, and I can see he is about to pull the trigger.

It feels like an eternity. I can hear the blood pounding in my ears as time seems to slow down. I close my eyes reflexively in fear.

 _ **BANG**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **..?**_

A rush of air passes by me, and I shakily open my eyes to see a large orange dragon with a cream belly standing in front of us. He appears unhurt, as a dragon's scales are too tough for the bullet to do any major damage. A man with spiky red hair and a cape hops off the dragonite and tosses two more pokéballs, releasing a graceful altaria and fierce-looking aerodactyl. _No way… Lance is here._ _Like actually here._

"Sorry I was late, but it seems like I arrived just in time."

Looking up at the man's confident and comforting gaze, I couldn't help but shakily smile despite all that's happened in the past hour or so. _Everything's going to be okay._

A/N So there it is! Hopefully I can start actually moving the story forward from now on. Thanks for reading!


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